In message
, at
05:11:42 on Mon, 10 Dec 2007, The Luggage
remarked:

Should they be able to split the tax burden? I would say yes.

Only if there's a similar transferable allowance for employed people.

Yes please! SWMBO has worked as a nanny for the last 18 years. Now we
have a little one of our own, it makes no sense for her to go out to
work looking after others' kiddies, and for us to pay someone to look
after ours. Except in Gordo land. I can get tax breaks to pay for
childcare,

Lucky you. Back in the mid 90's I didn't.

but can't use my wife's tax allowance to offset any of my
income. The gummint keeps telling us how important it is for parents
to spend time with their children, but then do nothing to help them do
so.

My peeve was that I could employ someone to do my work while I watched
the kids, and that cost was entirely tax deductible. But if I did the
work myself and hired someone to watch the kids (to enable me to work)
it wasn't tax deductible.
--
Roland Perry