Leading companies support tax break for carers
John Lewis, BT, HSBC and Nationwide are among leading organisations that have called on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to help carers balance work with their caring responsibilities by giving a tax break for care vouchers.
Companies are requesting that the Government include this tax break under its salary sacrifice scheme. Assessing the benefits of the proposal, the London School of Economics said the scheme could generate £83m worth of services in return for a £37m investment from government. This could pay for an extra 5.5 million hours of home care.
Vouchers will be available to buy a wide range of services needed by older and disabled people, such as home repairs, gardening, chiropody and extra home care.
Providing care is a major cause of early retirement, with 70 per cent of carers under 50 forced to give up work, say researchers.
“Every day we hear from carers who are forced to give up work because they cannot juggle work and caring. Having access to care services would make all the difference, in the same way that childcare does. It is a scandal that we treat carers differently to parents, given our ageing population and shortage of skilled workers,” said Imelda Redmond, chief executive of charity Carers UK.
Dave Wilson, head of employment policy at BT, said the initiative would be a win-win policy for government, employers and carers. “This scheme will support those who would otherwise become full-time carers stay in employment. It will also help society because, by not giving up work, those with caring responsibilities will continue to contribute to the economy through National Insurance and tax.”
BT already has a system in place to help employees that provide care manage their responsibilities. Lisa Crowley, PA to the group director of strategy portfolio at BT Group, works at home three days a week to look after her mother, having reached an agreement with her managers to do so. “I’m grateful for the three days at home, as it enables me to overcome the challenges of looking after my mother,” she said.
