The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is appealing to the High Court over the way that Working for Families discriminates against the children of beneficiaries in the distribution of tax credits.

Children have the same needs whether their parents are in paid work or not. They still need a warm, dry, safe home, and food if they are to grow up well and be able to learn in school.

At present, children in 140,000 of our poorest families on benefits are denied support which could help guarantee these essentials, because of a discriminatory policy started by Labour and continued under National.

The ‘In-Work Tax Credit’ component of Working for Families discriminates against children on the basis of their parents’ income. We commend CPAG for taking the courageous step to appeal this discriminatory policy to the High Court.

At times of economic downturn and high unemployment, no amount of punitive policies can force parents into non-existent jobs.

Ultimately, it is the children of our poorest families who are most hurt by this discriminatory policy. They have no control over their circumstances, but if we can guarantee them the basics, we can guarantee them the opportunity to have a great start in life.

We support CPAG for highlighting  this important issue.