Two building blocks of a successful economic policy to support Canadian families have long been championed by the Christian Heritage Party of Canada---income splitting and the family-friendly tax credit.
Income splitting would allow the most generous tax regime for a household whether both spouses are working or not. This would level the playing field so that a married couple with one spouse earning a high income and the other spouse nurturing children and keeping the household sane would pay the same tax as a home where both parents work at a lower salary and earn the same combined household income. Over time, this arrangement would benefit parents with children and would tend to support the choice of raising the next generation of Canadians---an outcome very important in light of Canada's "birth dearth". (If not for immigration, Canada's population would be in decline today. This demographic shift is becoming more obvious every day as our nursing homes are crowded and our schools are closing down for lack of students)
The CHP's family-friendly tax credit, granting a $1,000 per month tax credit to families where one parent is at home, nurturing and guiding their school-age children, provides similar practical support for the embattled Canadian family. In the upheavals we know as modern society, any move to re-establish the home as the place of security and training for our youth is a welcome effort.
Some have wondered about the economic costs of such policies. Our view is that any increased burden on the taxpayer will be more than offset by reduced unemployment as more parents are able to stay home where they really want to be, opening up existing jobs for those currently out of work. Others will start home businesses, injecting creativity and cash back into their communities. The social and economic benefits to Canada of having more stable families and more children enjoying a parent's close contact would be felt early and last well into the next few generations.
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