Thursday, April 9, 2015
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Child support changes crippling www.guardianonline.co.nz
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Rakaia mum Nicki Annan says her six-month-old son Axel and his siblings are missing out after her husband’s child support payments increased. PHOTO TETSURO MITOMO 080415-TM-077
BY DAISY HUDSON
DAISY.H@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
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A Rakaia mother says new changes to the child support system are unfair after her husband’s weekly payments nearly doubled. The family are just one of thousands who are affected by changes to the way child support payments are decided, which came into force on April 1. Rakaia mum Nicki Annan says her husband Justin’s child support payments for two of his children skyrocketed from $247 per fortnight to $437 per fortnight – an increase of 76 per cent. The changes affected the Annan family because Nicki and her daughter, who has a different father, are no longer part of the formula that works out child support payments.
Almost 33,000 parents across the country will pay more under the new changes, while 46,000 will pay less and 58,000 are unaffected. Mrs Annan says the changes leave the family of five with about $440 per week, $140 of which comes from a Work and Income benefit. She said by the time she bought groceries, nappies, and formula for her six-month-old son Axel, she was left with about $50 per week. “It’s really stressful,” she said. “I think it’s wrong, and it needs to change.” Mrs Annan says she will be forced to look for work, despite wanting to stay at home to care for her baby. “It breaches my rights to stay at home and look after my kids,” she said. “It punishes somebody if they want to move on with a new family.”
The changes were hurting her young children, and the family had resorted to selling clothes and toys to make ends meet, she said. “It’s not giving the little guys the things they’re entitled to, even though their dad works 50 hours a week,” she said. “It’s really frustrating.” The family had sold one of their cars while their other vehicle remained unregistered and lacking a warrant of fitness. Their phone had been disconnected as they could not afford to pay the bill. Mrs Annan said her husband was getting to the stage where he did not want to work, as he believed the family would be better off on a benefit. “We’re counting every cent,” she said. “It’s just so unfair.” Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe!
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