"Women into Public Life" campaign organized jointly by the Fawcett Society and the 300 Group with governmental support, 600 names had been submitted to the Public Appointments Office. Several additional initiatives were under consideration. 50. On ratifying the Convention, the United Kingdom had made a number of interpretative reservations and declarations. Those were an indication of how seriously it took its international obligations and it kept them under constant review and was prepared to withdraw them whenever possible. 51. Thus, the United Kingdom had entered a reservation to article 13 in order to allow the income and capital gains tax system to continue in its present form, even though in some respects it did not afford married women equal treatment with men. The initial report before the Committee referred to the proposals put forward in the Government's 1986 Green Paper on the reform of personal taxation to introduce a new system of independent taxation for husbands and wives. The response to the proposals had shown that there was clearly a widespread feeling that married women should be given independence and privacy in their tax affairs. A system of independent taxation of husbands and wives had been enacted by the Finance Act of 1988, to take effect from April 1990. The rule which currently added the income and capital gains of a married woman to those of her husband, and taxed their combined incomes as his, would be abolished and the system of personal tax allowances would be revised. Married women would enjoy the same independence and privacy in their tax affairs as their husbands and all other taxpayers. They would receive their own personal allowances and would be responsible for handling their own tax affairs. A married couple would still be entitled to an extra allowance, because the Government believed that the tax system should continue to recognize 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a specific policy change in the UK's tax system, which is related to women's rights and equality. It mentions the ratification of a convention and the implementation of a new system of independent taxation for husbands and wives, aiming to provide married women with more independence and privacy in their tax affairs.

**Category**
Employment, Humanitarian aid and relief