Baby Bonus
Encyclopedia
The Baby Bonus is a government payment to parents of a newborn baby or adopted child to assist with the costs of childrearing.

Australia

The government of Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...

 introduced a baby bonus of £5 per child in late 1912. The bonus was available irrespective of marital status and could also be received by husbands of women who died in childbirth. However, it was applicable only to mothers of European descent. While Fisher told parliament that the aim was to help mothers in their time of need, the intention was also to increase birth and infant survival rates in order to ensure white Australians' control of the country.

The baby bonus scheme introduced by the Federal Government of Australia in the 2002 budget was aimed at offsetting the expenses associated with bearing a child. The scheme was also introduced as a means of increasing Australia's fertility rate and to mitigate the effects of Australia's ageing population
Population ageing
Population ageing or population aging occurs when the median age of a country or region rises. This happens because of rising life expectancy or declining birth rates. Excepting 18 countries termed 'demographic outliers' by the UN) this process is taking place in every country and region across...

. In the 2004 budget the bonus was raised from $3,000 effective 1 July 2004 to $4,000 payable in 2007 but indexed to inflation so that in October 2007, the amount receivable per eligible child was $4,133. The bonus was paid in a lump sum to a nominated financial institution. From January 1, 2009 the payment is paid in 13 fortnightly installments. The receivable amount from July 2010 is $5,294.

Canada

A baby bonus was introduced in Canada following the second world war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. A family allowance scheme known as the "baby bonus" made regular monthly payments of $5 to $8 to all parents of children under 16.

In 1988, the Quebec government
Politics of Quebec
The politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...

introduced the Allowance for Newborn Children that paid up to $8,000 to a family after the birth of a child.

Today, the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) is but one of many child and family benefits offered by the government of Canada.

Czech Republic

Currently there is a baby bonus of 13000 CZK (approx. 670 USD) for each child born in the country. The mother must be a citizen or permanent resident of the Czech Republic.

Singapore

The Child Development Co-Savings Scheme (more commonly known as the Baby Bonus) was first introduced in Singapore in April 2001, with enhancements made in August 2004 and August 2008. The objective of this scheme is to improve on the country's fertility rate by providing cash incentives, with the hope of reducing the financial burden of raising children and thereby encouraging them to have more children. The cash payouts are S$4,000 each for the first and second child, and S$6,000 each for the third and fourth child. Under the scheme, the Singapore government also contributes a dollar for a dollar matching the amount of savings that parents contribute to their child's savings in the Children Development Account (CDA) (savings in this account may be used for educational or medical-related expenses for the child up to the age of 6), which is capped at S$6,000 each for the first and second child, and S$12,000 each for the third and fourth child, and S$18,000 each for the fifth and subsequent child.To date,the birth rate of Singapore has gone up by 0.2%

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