Money Demands.
It’s a sad indictment on British society when someone is
better off financially not work than trying to earn their keep and not be a
burden to the tax payer.
To my own personal experience, I have found this to be true
and not a urban myth. Were I to claim
Jobseekers Allowance, I would be ‘passported’ to other benefit
entitlements. However, as a low-income
father, I have no eligibility to financial assistance. Indeed, after receiving a 17 page letter
from the Benefit office, the only thing I learnt was that I would be
financially better off sitting at home doing nothing.
At least, being employment does give me a sense of purpose
that I lost during my spells of unemployment.
But is it right that I’m penalised for trying to make an effort to
improve my lot in life?
While trying to gasp my own situation, the actress Halle
Berry is reported as having some money troubles of her own. Allegedly, she pays a monthly child
support amount of $ 16,000 to her ex-partner and wants this reduced to $ 3,000
because she feels that her ex partner has been living entirely off of this
payment.
She may have a point.
The feel she reputedly feels is the way that many fathers feel. And yet, no one listens to the voice of the
fathers.
I have had dealings with the Child Support Agency here in Britain. I have found their approach very
heavy-handed when they saw me as a ‘deadbeat father.’
Their modus operandi is to issue you with a strongly-toned
letter demanding that you reply in 5 days otherwise face possible legal
action. However, they are not as prompt
should you wish/seek any input from them.
Initially, my ex and I agreed a private maintenance plan,
but when she realised she could squeeze more money out of me, she decided on
taking a non-negotiable approach via the Child Support Agency. They assessed my income, but not my
expenditure even ignoring outgoings that were related to my children. Their assessment of what they felt I should
pay my ex-wife was the majority of my wage, leaving me without enough to cover
the basic bills such as rent.
For most families I know, it is a struggle. Often, both
parents have to work and it isn’t easy.
But, a separated mother becomes far more accessible to a whole range of
benefits and although some may be ‘means-tested,’ any child support payments
aren’t included. Child Support should
be remained because often the last person supported by this payment is the
child itself!
