Child support bill closer to becoming law

Conflict in family

NZ Herald 21 October 2015
Measures to encourage parents to pay child support and reduce the level of child support debt have taken a step closer to becoming law.

A taxation bill that includes proposals to deal with long-standing child-support debt, announced in this year’s budget, passed its second reading in Parliament yesterday.

Revenue Minister Todd McClay said the bill included measures to encourage liable parents to “re-engage with their child support obligations” and to strengthen Inland Revenue’s ability to work with parents to help with their child-support debt and make payments.

“Child-support debt is currently $3.2 billion and rising, and only around $700 million in actual child support,” Mr McClay said.

“The rest is debt from penalties. This is the legacy of a penalty system that was overly punitive and which is now being changed.”

If the bill passes its third reading, measures would come into force in April.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11532613

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