Between September and Christmas last year Busy Bees' vouchers division received about 30 calls a day from employers and parents enquiring about the Government's tax and national insurance exemption for those using approved childcare. Worth up to 50 a week, it came into force on 6 April 2005.
John Woodward, director of the Busy Bees chain, which shares around 80 per cent of the voucher market with Accor services, says telephone enquiries have grown eight-fold since then and are now running at 250 a day.
Despite mushrooming interest in the new arrangements, which could save a working parent more than 800 a year, Mr Woodward believes only around 2 per cent of parents have signed up to enjoy these benefits.
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