child benefit.

[frodsham]

I think it is right that absent fathers should be made to pay maintenance for the upkeep of their children. If all absent fathers are made to pay, does that mean that all unmarried mothers will get less benefit than what they are getting now. I hope so. It may then mean that the married persons tax relief will be reinstated, as it was taken off us in 1997 by this family destructive government,so as to prop up this generation of illegitate kids, ooops! . Am I being politically incorrect, or does the truth hurt?

[Quinlad]

Just to be clear....

Are you saying that the removal of married persons tax relief destroys families?

[pink-kittens]

"does that mean that all unmarried mothers will get less benefit than what they are getting now."

Massive assumption made by yourself that all unmarried mothers are on benefits/not working.
But no, it would not make a jot of difference really. Single parents - including men - who live on state benefits who's ex's pay maintenance have that maintenance paid directly to the government. They receive �20 of this

Married persons tax allowance should never have existed for those without children IMHO, ofc. Why would you need a tax allowance with 2 wages coming in? Single people propping up married ones?? Why is that fair ?

[Gromit]

Am I being politically incorrect,..?

No, just incorrect.

[Schutzengel]

All absent fathers are not the former partners of unmarried women, many are fathers who have abandoned their wife and children often for another woman. I agree it is right that all fathers should pay toward the upkeep of their children. However, the tax system of this country, is regarded from different points of view, according to the particular circumstances of any one person.
By the way do you live in a place called Frodsham in Cheshire.

[Ethel]

I really resent my taxes paying for the raising of children when the absent parent refuses to support them.

I hope they do lose their driving licence and passport:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-112725 1/Child-support-dodgers-lose-passports-driving -licences-draconian-new-plans.html

I didn't have the few minutes pleasure it took to create the child, but I'm still expected to pay.

I am all for supporting families when they are down, to get them over a tough few months, and I certainly don't want to see any child suffer deprivation; but the parents should pay if they have the resources to.

[Jillius]

Well said ethel ! Why can't the money just be taken straight from their wages though ? Taking their driving licence away just means they won't be able to go to work, and that means they will still get out of paying.

[Ethel]

There are other ways of getting to work, but I think there is already Attachment of Earnings Orders for working absent parents.

Possibly the driving licence/ passport options are for absent parents who don't work, or are self employed.

[123everton]

A few minutes Ethel?
Aww poor thing, ;-)
Take the passport off them certainly, they need the licence to work.
Tax allowance for married couples I think is a vital part of making Britain better, money (or rather the lack of it) is a principle factor in most divorces.
I feel the benefits system should be reworked, those who were married should have access to benefits if they're now divorced, those who were'nt should be given help in pursuing the father for upkeep and fcul all else.
This law would not apply retrospectively so it would only affect people who get preggers after a certain date.
So endeth my left wing credentials....

[anotheoldgit]

Why would you need a tax allowance with 2 wages coming in?

Because they have 2 lots of tax going out.

[frodsham]

hi schutzengel. No I'm not from fodsham. But I have fond memories of the place.

quinlad no I'm not saying that the removal of tax credit for married couples destroyed families. But i do know that when it was removed from married couples, it could have been better spent than passing it on to unmarried mums. I had this dispute with a labour MP at the time and all he said were words to the effect " we have to look after the youth..." We all know how the state of Britain has declined since this government came to power, and there are more fatherless kids on the street than any time in history. I think that if less benefit was paid to to unmarried mothers, I mean girls having kids without any prospects, long term partner, income, home etc, it would perhaps make them think about who was going to maintain ther offsprings.

[Quinlad]

And perhaps it wouldn't.

So as well as being fatherless kids on the streets, they'd be fatherless kids on the streets who are even poorer than they are now, with poorer prospects. Fair enough, you're penalising mums who don't think before they get pregnant. You're also penalising their children.

I know it's not so much fun to think about the long-term results when there are knees to be jerked, but what you'd be left with is a swathe of young people beset by a higher level of crime, illiteracy, squalor. So they suffer and we, as the taxpayers who have to sort it out, suffer as well.

[pinkkitty]

The way the CSA works is that they will ask the Non-Resident Parent (NRP) to pay their Maintenance themselves, preserably by Direct pay to the Parent With Care (PWC) or Direct Debit which gets passed on to the agency and then forwared on to the PWC as soon as possible. If the NRP is on benefits, the CSA can take �5 and no more per week from their benfit as maintenance. If the NRP is employed and won't pay, then a Deduction From Earnings Order (DEO) is put in place to take the money straight from their wage.
In cases of serious non-compliance the case gets passed to the Liability order and bailiff team to try and recover the debt. They are the ones whose powers include removal of driving licences and passports, plus the power to seize property and force the sale of the NRP's house.
Usually a case gets to this point if the NRP refuses to pay of his arrears, or if they have made an arrears agreement but the debt will not be cleared within 2 years, he or she can still be taken to court.