If the UK followed China and imposed a fine (known as the “social maintenance fee” in China) on families for having more than one child, the equivalent penalty would be £260,000.
(The fine in China varies, but according to an article in the Economist, a husband and wife in Shanghai would have to pay 110,000 yuan (about £6,000) each. This is three times the city's average annual post-tax income.
I'm the 3rd child, so my mum would not have been able to keep me, and probably my middle sister would have been doomed too.)
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