A few days ago we made the news that the Spanish Government decided to withdraw, as of January 1, 2011, universal assistance for families with a child, better known as a baby check.
The fact is that, as the economic crisis not only affects Spain, other countries have decided to cut benefits. At United Kingdom, for example, have announced a series of measures to alleviate this crisis and, among them, is the elimination of the baby check that amounts to an aid of 250 pounds sterling (about 292 euros) per child born or adopted.
The measure is part of a plan of interventions to cut public spending among which is to suppress first-class trips and official cars of officials, which in Spain sounds more than implausible that can even be considered.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said in this regard that "These decisions will not be well received by public opinion" and it is logical to think like that, if we look at the Spanish antecedent of a week ago.
Surprising to see that the philosophy of benefits for couples who have children is different among the various countries of the European Union since, while Spain and the United Kingdom decide to eliminate these grants, other governments in northern European countries maintain and even increase them.
Now it is possible that in England the debate opens, as it happened here, about advancing deliveries to December to take advantage of the aid while it is still in force. What will happen? We will know in a few months.
