Leading consultants have called for working mothers to receive a tax credit
equal to 50 per cent of their childcare costs to stop women leaving the jobs
market.
Ernst & Young has backed the campaign, which was inspired by working
mother Jacquline De Baer, during the recent Work-life Balance Week, and urged
the Government to consider the measure.
De Baer, who is CEO of uniform manufacturing company De Baer, said,
"Eighty per cent of my workforce are women and they are vital to my
business. Unfortunately, if they have children many of them can’t afford to
work, and we lose some of our best talent."
Ernst & Young has calculated that this level of tax relief would cost
£1bn – equivalent to a third of a penny on income tax.
"The tax regulations regard paid childcare as a luxury. We’ve started
the ball rolling and we want to pressure the Government to make a change."
