Report on business from the General Synod in York

Tuesday 11 July 2006

Overall this Group of Sessions of the General Synod was light on business. By the start of the final morning all the legislative business which had been scheduled had already been dealt with. The only item remaining was a Private Member’s Motion on Married Couple’s Tax Allowance. The Synod prorogued not long after 11am, almost two hours early.

Mrs Monkton’s motion was intended to put pressure on the Government to reintroduce the Married Couple’s Tax Allowance as a means of encouraging people to make a commitment in marriage. An amendment from the Bishop of Hertford shifted the focus to encouraging the commitment of marriage whilst removing all reference to tax. Mrs Monkton accepted this amendment subject to another amendment which brought back in reference to tax and benefits. The final motion was thus not as finely focussed as the original but reads:

'That this Synod, wishing to reaffirm the importance of marriage as central to the stability and health of society and the best context in which to bring up children;
(a) reaffirm its own priority of supporting family life (including the work of the Mothers' Union and FLAME) and encouraging more couples to affirm their commitment and love to each other in marriage; and
(b) call upon Her Majesty's Government to do the same, in all the ways open to it and in particular by removing the considerable financial penalties placed on marriage by the tax and benefit system.'