Mum ‘taxes’ seven-year-old daughter’s pocket money in unusual family experiment
A seven-year-old is handing over part of her pocket money as her mum turns the family home into a “mini democracy”.
A mum has started “taxing” her seven-year-old daughter’s pocket money – and making her children vote on family decisions as part of an unusual “mini democracy” at home.
Phoebe Lee, 35, has introduced the system with her husband Alex and their three children, aged seven, four and two, at their home in Twickenham.
The couple pay for all the family’s major expenses, but Phoebe wants the youngsters to feel they have a genuine say in how their household works.
And that includes paying into the family pot.
The seven-year-old receives £3 a week in pocket money, with £1 automatically going into savings. She can earn more by completing chores, while around 20p is also put into the family’s shared “fun tax” fund.
Phoebe and Alex contribute around £4 each a week.
The family’s younger children are expected to join the scheme when they are old enough to receive pocket money.
But this is no serious household bill – Phoebe insists the children are not being asked to cough up for rent or Wi-Fi.
Instead, the shared fund is designed to pay for optional treats, activities or bigger purchases everyone can enjoy.
The couple hope to build the pot to around £300 by December, with a second-hand trampoline among the potential future purchases.
Phoebe, an AI architect and founder of Inherit Health, says the scheme is about teaching her children responsibility, budgeting and delayed gratification.
The family also votes on certain household choices, allowing the children to suggest ideas and have a say in what happens.
She said the approach was inspired partly by her interest in ethical technology and her husband’s background as a public servant.
The couple also want their children to understand how collective contributions can fund wider society.
Phoebe has used examples including the NHS and state schools to explain the basic idea behind taxation and public services.
She said the contribution was deliberately symbolic, with the adults paying much more while keeping the children’s amounts stable.
For Phoebe, it is all about giving youngsters a sense of ownership without placing a burden on them.
“She will feel like she has contributed,” she said.
And with the family pot slowly growing, the next big vote could be over one very important question: who wants a trampoline?