States ‘should revise archaic and ridiculous taxation law’
Friday 27th January 2012, 2:58PM GMT.
Advocate Barbara Corbett, says that the law should have been changed last year
A FAMILY law expert has called for changes to Jersey’s ‘ridiculous’ tax law, which automatically regards a married woman’s earnings to be her husband’s income.
Advocate Barbara Corbett, a partner at law firm Hanson Renouf, said that the law was archaic and should be updated to reflect modern society.
Until last year, a woman’s husband had to write to the tax department to give her permission to access their tax information.
The department has now included a box on tax returns which a man can sign so his wife can discuss her own tax affairs.
Advocate Corbett said that the States should have revised the law when civil partnership legislation came into force last year.
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Lets have a change so that a wifes tax liability is not the husbands responsibility also. If she finally makes good on her threat and buggers off with the bin man I don’t want to pay her tax bill.
And why do a married couple without kids have a lower tax threshold than 2 single people, I can’t beleive I pay more tax cos I’m married.
Review the entire antiquated system including ITIS rates that change 4 times a year when my income has remained static for the past 3 years. Oh and contacting the lazy buggers, I have to answer within 4 rings, they ignore you and you get a message saying leave a message and they will contact you within 2 days – how long does it take to drink a mug of tea?
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a work collegue of mine moved house , told the tax department , who still sent thetax return to theold house , the sent it to his ex wife’s mothers home where he had never lived , still waiting for the new return, to get to where he lives now .
itis is rubbish, we should of had paye.
and like guernsey had a amnesty and started afreash.
states of jersey were too tight to do this .
want their pound of fleash and any thing else they can get their hands on.
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This isn’t the only outdated archaic law that Jersey needs to address, but don’t hold your breath it takes forward thinkers to resolve many of the issues, something we don’t unfortunately have ! ! !
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Empty house tax… that should stop the speculators and unwanted builders in their midst.
Every home that is empty should be taxed at £5k.. 3000+ empty homes/flats allegedly thats over 15million quid year on year!
Real estate funds can afford this ‘drop’ in the ocean.
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Commonsense. Treat every adult as an adult, just like the UK!
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MAN SHOULD BE THE BOSS, trouble is there are few great men worth following and few great women worth marrying.
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make us a cuppa tea luv, you seem to be confused.
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oh dear you forgot to put on any makeup, and your hair matches the unkempt palm behind you
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yeah yeah yeah, but when will my dinner be ready. — frrrrr
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“archaic” is so true. Come on Jersey wake up, it is 2012. I am so glad they scrap the laws who forbid you to dance, buy petrol or rent a DVD on Sundays.
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I’m not sure about that. They will want the vote next….
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yeah but no… but yeah but no… but, yeah but no… but— SOOO UNFURRR!
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Ann Tiquated – couldn’t agree more, if the tax breaks were as good as the tea breaks we’d all be minted.
That’s what you’re up against with states employees, trapped in a time warp where cost of living pay rises are expected, performance related is a marital score system and work is like the price on the back of a paperback recommended but not obligitory.
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Man is a fragile being upset him at your peril, he will not speak to you for days, they seem to thing this is some sort of punishment, foolish beings,but nature takes it course, and they soon find out the error of their ways.
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My husband can’t open the tax form envelope, never mind fill it in! I have filled ours in for the past 20 years and he just signs it. He wouldn’t have a clue what to do, even with the book of instructions you get with it
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Go back to the ironing board luv, but make me a cup of tea first.Once finished you can carry on with the cleaning
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Well done barbara
Although jersey has the highest percentage of working women in Europe when it comes to speaking to the tax office we can’t be trusted!
I have had the conversation with the tax office to talk about tax after all I am in my own right a tax payer but apparently I need my husbands permission for the tax office to give me that information.
Same at social security if you are a red card holder I can’t have a meeting without my husband been present.
Not to mention when the employment law was brought in it followed the uk law but then jersey went out of its way to take out the maternity section so we still have no law in place to protect a women who is pregnant when it comes to employment.
States wonder why there is voter apathy. Recognise the section of jersey that has been discriminated against for decades by its own government.
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C’mon we all know…………
Men rule the world and women clean it! Some not very well.
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It is particularly frustrating when you are the main breadwinner and yet everything is treated as if it is your husband’s income! Plus if you are married but do not take your husband’s name they can’t cope with that either.
Many things in Jersey are like stepping back in time. Some of these are good, like the fact that the beaches are largely unspoilt and people sell their veg on roadside stalls. But the tax laws belong to the dark ages and need updating.
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“It is particularly frustrating when you are the main breadwinner and yet everything is treated as if it is your husband’s income!”
No its not. Your husband has no legal right to your income but is liable to pay your tax. I can see that he might be frustrated, particularly as you appear to have mistaken feminism for losing your sense of humour, but you really have nothing to get “particularly” frustrated about. Luv.
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Why bother getting married then if you are keeping your maiden name?
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Could always go home if it’s so awful here.
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Trinity hero, it is frustrating for the reasons outlined Barbara Corbett and by post 15 above.
OK sonny?
Mario what a strange question.If we (men or women) want to change our names we can use deed poll, rather than marriage and it would be a lot less hassle! We get married because we want to get married and the names we use afterwards are our own business.
Bill, yes I could go “home”. My home is currently in St Brelade thanks. And it’s not awful at all.
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Stop moaning then and try to fit in.
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Why use deed poll, when by getting married this is done for you? I can’t see any reason for a woman not to change their name when they get married as it is the norm. Mind you the norm is being thrown out in favour of new fangled ideas that are destroying family values and society is suffering as a result.
My wife was quite happy to change her name when she married me, there was none of this “I want my own bank account and my wages are my own to do as I please” milarky which often appears to be the case now.
She is quite happy to do the tax form for me. I just sign it for her and she sends it back to the tax department. I don’t need to check it as I trust her. I don’t have a separate bank account either, she looks after the finances and allocates accordingly.
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Why are women moaning about this. There is a space on the tax form for employing a house keeper. Husbands just need to employ a house keeper and they will have a reduction on their tax bill.
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Yes absolutely ridiculous that we still have this ante-deluvian and pretty insulting method of taxation. Nigel Lawson changed the UK rules on this in 1988, 23 years ago! Contrast the pace of change of something important and just like this update compared to the couple of months it takes our law makers to introduce new laws for some spivvy new financial services related structure and the like.
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