"single people have been penalised for not being married & having kids:". ....... "penalised"? how so? this suggests you had to pay more than standard taxation in order to subsidise others.
families have much higher expenses than people with no kids. I've had 3 children and only ever received the old Child Endowment from Govt. so I don't know the benefits of child care allowance or Family Tax Benefits. yet I would not consider a single person with no kids as contributing to the costs of raising kids.
