STOP AVOIDANCE OF CHILD MAINTENANCE:CHANGE THEIR TAX CODES! AND UPDATE HMRC interface with CMS.

Having my own experiences for the last fourteen years of the father of my two children who, became a notorious non-compliant 'paying parent', and manipulated the CSA system, and now the CMS system to his advantage, in order to avoid paying any child maintenance, it is time to STOP this happening. The current system is incapable of collecting any maintenance for 14 years! I know of a significant number of other families who have the same experience and will continue to do so, if this financial abuse of children, is not stopped NOW.

There are many, many problems with the way the UK collect child maintenance and this petition address one of them that will resolve instantly the problems, including poverty, experienced by those receiving parents who do not receive any child maintenance at all, or at best, sporadic payments.

My children's father is a full time senior school teacher and earning further undisclosed income. He, personally, chose to job hop when he realised he could change employers frequently and knew the system would not catch up with him until someone, i.e. me, found him and provided the details - then he is off again having been provided with notice of when an attachment of earnings order is to become effective. Too many families are experiencing this. The current system does not work.

All this can STOP by CHANGING THE PAYING PARENTS' TAX CODE i.e. using existing CODING OUT adjustments with HMRC. It is that simple. The child maintenance is collected before. the 'paying parent' is paid into their or, indeed, 'another person's' account - as so often can be the case (not illegal, albeit continuing deviance). Improvements to the HMRC interface with the CMS ought to be able to show up-to-date earnings and apply the relative percentage child maintenance that applies to any paying parent.

If anyone of us owes any government department any money there is legislation in place to change tax codes - relative to amount of debt and earnings - so the same method should be enforced for child maintenance!

This method of collection of CM saves a significant and often, ultimately worthless amount of time, on behalf of government staff, resources and, thereby, tax payers money; but, also, a significant deal of stress to the receiving parent and the children who are suffering from the financial abuse on behalf of a significant proportion of so-called 'paying parents', who deliberately avoid detection by job-hopping and income diversion.

It is a no-brainer not to collect at the level of taxation. The lives of the 'paying parent's' biological children improves on a financial level and, therefore, an emotional level by, not having to 'go without' constantly because their 'paying parent' avoids maintenance, or misses payments. Children's self-esteem is thereby improved exponentially. This, in turn, reduces mental health problems for both them and their 'receiving parent' and, thus, future social problems and mental health services they may access as a result.

This action is needed NOW as those dishonest 'paying parents' have already demonstrated they will not pay by any means. We have over £35,000 in arrears by the CMS figure (closer to £100,000 but needing further validation), which can also be collected via tax code without breaching the 40% protected earnings threshold. Often any enforcement action available is, at best, ineffective especially if they ensure they have no collateral to enforce debts against - as is our case.

This is nothing to do with contact issues that exist with many families. It is to to STOP non-compliant 'paying parents' from avoiding paying child maintenance and leaving their children often in poverty! Any families reading this who are experiencing these problems need to sign the petition now; and anyone at all who supports this action. You might be without children, a grandparent or an honest paying parent. PLEASE, PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION.

And, finally, in order to provide further support for the above, please CONTACT YOUR OWN MP, to bring this coding out issue to the attention of the Houses of Parliament. AND SHARE this link on your social media accounts!

The original draft bill on behalf of Heidi Allen has been postponed until October 2018. In the meantime, she has confirmed to me she in touch with the relevant Minister discussing her draft bill, and has raised the coding out concerns I have brought to her attention to collect child maintenance. The October 2018 date is listed in case it is still needed to get her proposals accepted.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!