Spousal Deduction on Income Tax

In the UK, if you are working and your spouse is not, do you get to claim him/her as a dependent and, thus, pay less tax on your income?

Usually not.  Some very elderly people are grandfathered in under a previous regime where it was allowable.  If you're healthy and young, no.

You do get lots of child benefits if you have kids.  And you get free healthcare.  College/University costs just £3,000 per year instead of $15,000+.  They pay merit scholars to get advanced degrees (about 1/4 of advanced degree students at the prestigious schools are paid a decent living wage to stay in school).  And they have jolly nice museums and parks, all paid for with your tax money.  But no, no deductions for your stay-at-home spouse.

Thanks for the response, I was just wondering.  You don't get a stay-at-home spouse deduction here in Sweden either.  And you also get all kinds of benefits from the government if you have children.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), I'm 55, my husband is 59 and his kids are both at university and looking after themselves very nicely.  I was just trying to calculate a bit in my mind what kind of wage I would get net, since I'm probably the one that will find a job first.  But then he's staying here in Sweden until I find work anyway.