Tories pledge to double tax threshold for child benefits to £120,000

Threshold would apply to households instead of individuals under plan that party says would cost 1.3bn a year

The Conservatives have pledged to double to 120,000 the pay threshold at which child benefit payments start to be taxed, amounting to an average annual saving of 1,500 for families.

Under the proposed changes as the Tories try to focus the election battle on taxation, the threshold would apply to entire households rather than individuals, and people would receive at least some child benefit up to an income of 160,000.