Friday, August 28, 2009

Are taxpayers about to be asked to pay more for the DPB?

I am about to read a paper just released by the Families Commission about a review of child support. But the following statement from the press release is significant enough to warrant early comment. It is from Jan Pryor, Chief Families Commissioner;

"We also believe it is time for New Zealand to consider passing on child support payments to the parent who is getting the DPB or other social security benefit. Sole parent beneficiaries are among the poorest of New Zealand families. Those with former partners paying child support to Inland Revenue would be better off if the payments came to them instead."

The inference is that the amount of the total DPB bill that is currently offset by liable parent contributions would disappear. It probably currently lies somewhere around 10-12 percent of the total - approx $170 million - but I haven't calculated it for a while (so don't quote me on it.)

Doesn't that proposal fill you with joy.

(Well I was going to read the paper but the link isn't working).

7 comments:

wino said...

whhhhaaaatttt!

Who thinks up this rubbish?

wino said...

Actually what's worse is that the taxpayer probably pays someone to think up this rubbish.

Berry said...

One would assume that the DPB entitlement is reduced accordingly, so the nett effect is zero.

Doesn't change the fact that the whole DPB needs to be canned, though...

Lindsay Mitchell said...

bez, I am not making that assumption because she makes special mention that these are the poorest households inferring that their incomes need raising.

Berry said...

Ah, could be, but then again the 'poorest' households will no doubt be associated with 'fathers' that don't pay child support anyway, if their identity is known that is.
To me this is a bit of a red herring

Anonymous said...

"Are taxpayers about to be asked to pay more for the DPB?"

NO - because no-one is going to fucking ASK

Lindsay Mitchell said...

Oh shit. Big copy mistake there. You are absolutely right.