Councillor joins fight against ‘mummy tax’ (From The Bolton News)

Councillor joins fight against ‘mummy tax’

8:45am Friday 8th March 2013 in News

BOLTON Council’s deputy leader has pledged her opposition to what Labour has branded “mummy tax”, branding it “an affront to women”.

Cllr Linda Thomas has signed a petition produced by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who claims new mothers will lose up to £180 maternity pay by 2015 due to changes in Government legislation.

The Government plans to cap statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance rises at one per cent per year, instead of the current practice of increasing it by the consumer price index measure of inflation.

Cllr Thomas said she wanted to use International Women’s Day — which takes place today — to raise awareness of the changes.

She said: “International Women’s Day seems an appropriate time to highlight the unfairness in the Government’s policies which are an affront to women.”