bmoretti@chariot.net.au on Fri, 24 Aug 2001 03:41:46 +0200 (CEST) |
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[Nettime-bold] Catholic Archbishop proposes divorce tax |
http://au.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/20010824/aapnews/998608524-141003984 5.html Friday 24 August 9:15 AM Catholic Archbishop proposes divorce tax Sydney's Catholic Archbishop, George Pell, has proposed a divorce tax for separating couples in a tightening of the country's divorce laws. The church head also suggested tax benefits for couples who stayed together and pension payments be linked to the number of children couples had, The Age reports. Speaking at a Quadrant magazine dinner on Wednesday night, Dr Pell said the federal government needed to examine measures to encourage people to stay together and prevent social breakdown and harm on children, it reports. Imposing a divorce tax, re-examining the no-fault divorce law and tightening divorce criteria were among Dr Pell's proposals. "Divorce and births out of wedlock are becoming major predictors for a range of personal pathologies, and for criminality," Dr Pell told the dinner. "Both come with high costs for society. Social policy should be addressing the underlying causes and, where possible, reversing these trends. "We will have to bite the bullet and commit to supporting the family over and above other ways of life that people may choose. "We have to move to what I would call a preferential option of the family in social policy, law and our economic arrangements." But Dr Pell's proposals drew criticism from Anglicare chief executive Canon Ray Cleary, who told The Age it was inappropriate and unreasonable to expect people to stay together to avoid incurring financial penalties. Bureau of Statistics figures released yesterday show 49,900 divorces were granted last year, 7,300 more than in 1990. Over the decade, marriage rates fell from 43 to 33 per 1,000. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mail2Web - Check your email from the web at http://www.mail2web.com/ . _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold