Single-income married couples hit by taxman

A married couple on one salary pays a higher proportion of tax in the UK compared to other western countries, a new study has found.

A research report by Christian group CARE reveals that a married couple with two children and a single salary of £30,800 will pay 40 per cent more tax in the UK than in other major industrialised nations.

While the tax burden on a single person with no dependents has only risen by 16 per cent since the 1960s, it has trebled among single-salary married couples earning 75 per cent of the average wage.

CARE’s report states: “Among highly developed economies, the UK is almost alone in operating a tax system that ignores spousal obligations.”