Your say: Child support defaulters

Stuff readers share their views on a report that claims hundreds of "delinquent dads" earning six-figure salaries are shirking their child support obligations, refusing to stump up cash to provide for their children.

RE: Wealthy dads not paying for kids, Child-support payment hopes pinned on new law

Feedback (latest posts at top):

My partner has shared care (week turnaround) of his three children from a previous relationship. IRD has assessed his income on the last year he earnt $60k,this year he is only on $40k, but because he earnt $60k last year IRD say he has to pay the same amount of child support this year. We have just started a new business and IRD say he is  trying to hide money so make him pay $100 a week even when we have the children which is killing the business.  We are  waiting to go to court and have been waiting for over a year and a half now to see a judge! And what's worse the mother is now earning more and does not have to pay us $100 a week in return. IRD does need an overhaul to make sure all is fair in bring up the children. We are at our wits end with the system!
Debra

Most fathers (including myself) are more than happy to pay a reasonable amount of child support for children they do not have custody of. Most fathers would love to have more time with these children if it were possible. However when IRD strangles you to the point that you cannot possibly live on the income you earn, bring up a family, and visit your children it is no wonder so many default. I ask anyone to justify the $500.00 per week per child as acceptable. This is based on $250 from the parent living away, $250 equivalent from the parent living with the child as they are just as accountable financially to bring that child up right.) per child is acceptable. In my situation I can now only visit my child once or twice if I am lucky a year because I cannot afford the visits. Why because IRD sucks $12,000 dollars out of my meagre pay packet each year. What benefit is this to the child? None at all when you consider he (or his mum) don't see a dollar of it as she is on a benefit. If it was a fair and reasonable rate you wouldn't get parents defaulting. I pay $250 per week for one child in Child support and am expected to support a wife and two children on $520.00 per week. How can that be right? I have often considered that the only solution to this crippling burden is to leave the country.
Owen

Unfortunately it is those few bad eggs that spoil it for the rest. My ex has his own building business and does a lot of "under the table" jobs. I know so, people tell me  frequently. He pays the minimum $62 per month (thats for two kids) and has plenty of cash in his wallet. He is one of those who give all the other good fathers/mothers who support their children a bad name.
Marina

Child-support payment hopes pinned on new law. Make sex before marriage illegal and we can solve this  problem instantly.
JL

My ex has not paid anything for 5 years now. When he was on a benefit he had to pay $27.00 a month. but when he had  a job nothing was arranged at all in fact IRD asked me to track him down to get him to start paying. My husband pays $300 a month for his boy and it's taken out of his wage  before he gets it. I thought that's what happened with wages  and benefits. I spoke to a lady from IRD and she said there are so many unpaying parents and not enough IRD workers and  the information is not given to them to follow up. we are just lucky family assistance can help us without it we are doomed
Amy

I am in a position as a custodial parent who hasn't received any child support for over 7 years and whose ex-husband is probably one of NZ's largest debtors. He lives in the USA and nothing can be done to get any money out of him unless he comes back to NZ. But all IRD could tell me was to let them know if I found out he was back in the country and they might be able to do something. I would just love to see more interaction between IRD and customs and airlines etc to flag defaulters as they arrive back in the country.
Sylvia

What about those that pay, as required, and get more and more things to pay due to increases in government wanting more i.e. higher cost of living, fuel costs, etc. I changed  jobs to have a better life style, to then get hit harder as i earn more. Answer that, as I am fed up with it all.
Kelvin

From my point of view nothing has changed in the 36 years I've been a single parent raising two of a family. If Inland Revenue is involved it is known that they don't help the situation, business folk (usually men) can get their accountant to swing a deal and say their client doesn't have an income..  These non paying parents can even go ahead and re-marry and the accountant can imply their client don't earning to support their former family. I also come to believe that why a lot of parents who have helped bring children into the world don't marry, so that if they part they don't have that responsibility.  Actually I believe that child support should be monitored through the Tax, when one put in their annual personal tax form hopefully for a refund children they have bought into the world can get picked up in the system, same goes for their non-custodian parent that flies either of the country or within the country, a flag can be put against their names. Finally the system won't change and neither will the court system that administer assess/visitation rights.  The winners are lawyers in the court system, why, well they get paid don't they!
Ruth

I have been in  the position of being a paying and receiving parent over  the years with my child.  I agree that "dead-beat" parents  (and there are many mothers who fall into this category  NOT just fathers!) should pay towards the upkeep of their children however the current child support system does not adequately address this.  In a shared care situation each parent is liable for child support... yet the amounts due can differ.  How can the same child be worth more when living in obe house as opposed to the other?  Or the  situation where the custodial parent is in a far better financial situation than the paying parent...still the  money is wrung out of that stone!  This new law won't help  address the real issue - child support needs to be  overhauled.  Why don't we work out how much it actually  costs to raise a child - in basic terms - amd halve it to set a basis.  Some parents are paying over $1000 for one child per month and others pay $62.40, obviously some  children are worth more!  Makes you think doesn't it.
Fi Perez

Why not just make unpaid Child Support work the same as unpaid court fines?? Treat them like unpaid fines - clamp the non-paying parents' cars, seize goods and in the end if they still don't pay, have them hauled before a judge to be treated like fine defaulters. Put the non-paying parents' names with debt collecting firms to ensure they no longer get credit to buy their big screen TV etc instead of paying for their own kids.
Mark Miller

Child support! Look out England... I hold onto the old  adage: what goes around, comes around...all the dads will  be going there!  My ex-husband went to England to marry, (we were still good friends after divorce). He told IRD he was returning in 18 months with his new wife.. When  time came to return he discovered he  had child support with charges and fees, so he he stayed away, and there were no repercussions.... crazy ! !   and has been that  way since 2003.  Try and raise three children (two with A.D.D.  disability) They are now teens, and like I said... what  goes around, comes around...
Taanya

Two sides to every story. I have just stopped paying for 2 of my kids after 4 odd years and I earn over $100k. I never got behind in my payments but based on my own experience there are circumstances when you can understand why dads are refusing to pay. Here goes:
* Mum leaves marriage out of the blue with dads best friend
* Mum via threats to the kids gets 100 per cent of the business assets built up over the years by the ex partner
* Mum is now earning more income than dad
* Eldest child leaves mum and new boyfriend's house and lives with dad for four years, dad also has shared care of the other two kids (looks after them every weekend and some week nights) over this time- no child support payments are made by either party but mum is technically liable, but the issue is not pushed by dad.
* Child living with Dad turns 19 and mum makes sure the other two kids return fulltime to her, within a month dad is assessed by the IRD for child support and bang - got a big monthly bill.
Bottom line, in my experience I don't think the system is fair in all cases.
PW

I left my husband 10 years and because he was (and still is) on an invalids benefit, i only took my  personal belongings with me when I left, leaving him with  the house and absolutely everthing else.  Our children spend 4 nights a week with me and 3 with their father and  apart from their medical bills, I pay for all of their other expenses: school fees, clothes, sports, etc. Because I am earning an income and because they spend more  than 2 nights a week at their fathers, I have to pay child  support (50 per cent of what i would have to pay if i never had any  involvement in my children's lives).  This money does not  get given to him.  no  matter what I earn (which decides what i pay in child support) his benefit stays the same. I certainly sympathise with the parent who is left with all  of the responsiblities and there are definitely parents out there who don't provide support but I really do feel that  the support alot of "liable" parents do give is not  acknowledged by the government.
Blaise

Before people make judgement on child support defaulters, they should have a look at the child support formula to  see how this penalises that hard working weekend fathers. They have child support costs that are not considered as  part of the formula and who need to go through a very  painful review process to get these cost recognised. For two children child support equals 24 per cent of GROSS income minus a  small "living allowance".  so on top of tax a "high  income" Dad less than 43 per cent of their income. This is on top of the countless mistakes that Inland Revenue make in administering this and how difficult they are to deal with.  
Alan

For every non-payer out there, there are those of us that  are still involved as much as we can with our kids and go  the extra mile in paying for other kids expenses even  though we still have to pay child support! The system is  stacked against fathers like us which makes paying the IRD  on a monthly basis a bitter pill to suck!
Stewart

As one of those working dads (earning about $50,000) and paying my child support in excess of $700 per month I find it outrageous that the IRD is persecuting us. I went from  a shared custody arrangement of 4 days with my children and 4 days without (I was still paying $130+ per month because I earned more than my ex), to an occassional  visit every 3-4 months because my partner up and moved  300+km away. And now I have to pay to go to court to  enforce a parenting order to get visitation! Lets explain how your child support is assessed - take  your GROSS salary - take off about $22000 for personal  expenses (single) then pay 24 per cent of the balance out of your nett (in hand) income assessed over the previous 12  months. Work overtime to try to make ends meet and you will pay more child support in the next financial year, same applies to backpay or one off payments under contract settlements, the IRD is just interested in the gross amount you earn.  If the IRD got the Government to have a fairer system -  eg: ignore the overtime we work - be able to deduct fair expenses for travel to see our kids perhaps they might find more people are willing to pay, or perhaps I can do as one of the IRD workers suggested and find a partner with several kids which will increase my living allowance  and reduce my chid support payments and work no overtime which is great for the country's productivity.
Chris