NEW TAX CREDITS – MAKE SURE EVERYONE CLAIMS THE MONEY THEY ARE ENTITLED TO!

If you are expecting a baby, whether it is your first child or
whether you already have another child, make sure you know how much
you are entitled to from the new Child Tax Credit.  Nine out of ten families with
children should be entitled to claim.

If your youngest child is under a year old, you will be eligible
for extra money on top of the usual Child Tax Credit entitlement,
plus you will still be able to claim for any older children. This
money will be paid to the person in the family who mainly looks
after the children, often the mother, rather than to the main
earner of the family.

Chancellor Gordon Brown said at the launch of the new, more
streamlined system:

“The Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit mark the biggest
revolution to the tax and benefits system since Beveridge. They
will modernise the existing systems, ensuring better support for
children whether or not their parents are in
work.”

The new tax credits represent an extra £2.7 billion a year for
those who are working or bringing up children, and the government
is committed to making sure that those who might benefit make their
claims in time to receive the first payments in April
2003.

There are various ways to find out whether you are
eligible:

To find out if you qualify:

• 
  Visit www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/taxcredits
  or
• 
  Call 0800 500 222 or
• 
  Drop into your local Inland Revenue Enquiry Centre (listed under
  Inland Revenue in the telephone directory)