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c/o Council for Disabled Children
National Children's Bureau
8 Wakley Street
London EC1V 7QE
tel +44 (0)20 7843 6448
fax +44 (0)20 7843 6313
[email protected]
Financial victory for families with disabled children
Thousands to receive disability tax credit
09 June 2008
Up to 30,000 families with a disabled child will be better off thanks to campaigning by Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) and Contact a Family.
The charities identified that there were thousands of parents not receiving the disability element of tax credits because they did not know to tell HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) they were receiving Disability Living Allowance.
After months of joint work by Contact a Family, EDCM, HMRC and the Department of Work and Pensions, HMRC has now found a way to identify the estimated 30,000 families currently missing out and give them the correct tax credits. Officials have also put measures in place to ensure future claimants receive their full entitlements.
Jill Harrison, External Affairs Director for Contact a Family, said: “We are delighted that those families who were missing out will now get their full benefit entitlements and welcome the government’s commitment to solving this situation.
“It costs three times as much to raise a disabled child and with fuel and food bills escalating, families are struggling to make ends meet, so every penny counts. Families who don’t want to wait for HMRC to check their claim can phone the Contact a Family helpline on 0808 808 3555 and we will check their entitlement now.”
Steve Broach, EDCM Campaign Manager added: “Once we realised so many parents could be affected we lobbied for government to commit to addressing the issue and secured its inclusion in Aiming High for Disabled Children. Now all those families will be better off as a result.”
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