Why is child support not a tax deduction?

Well, the idea is that if Dad made $120,000 a year and Mom made $60,000 a year...and they were married...that the kids would get a $180,000 lifestyle. There would be no separation of income.

Thus, if the parents divorce, the courts feel - and I must agree - that the child's standard of living shouldn't go down but so much. It will go down some, for the average family, because two households must now be maintained on the same income. But there is a limit to how much of that should occur, relative to the actual total income of the married parents.

It wouldn't be right for the parents to divorce, and dad to continue drivng and expensive car and having expensive vacations...while mom is trying to scrape up enough money so that the kid can go to summer camp.

 

Again the courts have no right to dictate someone's lifestyle or how much to spend on children.

First assumption is that the mother gets custody.
Second assumption is that Mom in this example makes appx. $20,000 more than the average US household yearly income. Sounds like she would need to reduce her lifestyle and live within her means.

 

What other things can be done? I know plenty of custodial parents that would like to know. Being 30-90 days late on CS can mean the difference between the custodial parent being able to keep the electric on or food on the table.

The costs of raising a child don't get put on hold for 30-90 days just because the non-custodial parent hasn't paid CS. The electric still must be paid monthly, the school fees and costs are still due when they are due. Gas must be put into the car when it runs out...not 90 days from now when the CS pays. Many custodial parents live paycheck to paycheck. They need that CS payment to help pay the bills that can't wait.

Yes, but the difference is that when it happens to an intact families, both parents have to shoulder that together. When it happens to a custodial parent, the custodial parent shoulders it all...and the non-custodial parent shoulders nothing.

I do know what your posts indicate you are considering, and by "considering", I am talking about how you aren't seeing the big picture. You are only seeing a man's wallet that you picture as being emptied unfairly. You aren't seeing the child and it's needs for as comparable a life as possible after divorce, or the portion of care and finances that the custodial parent also shoulders.

Being as though I've been divorced for 15 years, and have a child...I have an excellent idea of what I'm talking about. I also did prep-work for a family law attorney for a number of years, so I'm not just going by my own experience.

 

And he will never forget that. As adults, we tend to underestimate just how much a child sees and understands - especially as they get older. My ex is just now realizing how important it is to make your child a priority. For so long, he thought that he deserved the "stress-relief" of a golf game on Sunday, rather than spending time with his daughter. Now that she is almost 17, he's having a hard time understanding why she doesn't rush to return his calls and why she has no problem saying she doesn't want to come see him for the weekend because she has plans.

Hey...some of us are just damned good at it. :mrgreen:

 

Guess you missed the part where he wished more time with his son and granted custodial parent status would not ask the other parent for any money. Guess in your eyes the child can not live with his father as the custodial parent.

Guess this explains why you keep thinking that the Constitution guarantees the children a certain lifestyle. Divorce is a disaster when there are kids. Nobody is the winner and the kids suffer the most. Given all that the children are not being done any favors by trying to continue the "lifestyle" they enjoyed. Hate to say it but 15 years vs 6 years has no bearing.

 

I don't think men are bad. I think they are delightful. I think this world would suck without men. I don't think I ever want to marry again, because I really enjoy my independence...but I enjoy having a man in my life as long as he also has a life of his own.

I do think, however, that there is a man-gene that causes a few short-circuits when it comes to putting money in the hand of their ex-wives. But I'll be frank and tell you that of the 2 women I know that are ordered to pay CS to their custodial ex-husbands...neither one pays at all. And they have that woman-gene that tells them a woman shouldn't have to pay a man CS period. Some people never cease to amaze me.

Remember that scene in "Ghost" where Patrick Swayze was making Whoopie Goldberg give the $4 million to the nuns? It was a real tug of war with that check. That comes to mind. LOL!

 

Mine is in high-school, and it's killing my budget. I can't believe what schools charge for the slightest thing. We are getting ready to pay $120 just for the priviledge for her to drive and park her car at school next year. Everytime I turn around, we have to pay $40.00 here and $20.00 there for field trips, elective fees, $100.00 for a special calculator that is required, $30.00 for an art portfolio, etc.

I'm trying to convince her that she doesn't need college...that bartenders make great money and can work at that vocation until they are 45...but it's not working. /jk

 

I liked the way Clif Huxtable saw the world.

I agree the govt shouldn't be in our business, and if everyone behaved as they should...they wouldn't need to. Sadly, that's not the case.

Without the govt, there would be more custodial parents struggling while the non-custodial parent went off for a fresh start at life, no strings attached. And that wouldn't be fair to the children or to the custodial parents.

 

to each his own

So basically their is a gene that is non-gender biased that says some think it ok to forget your moral and fiscal responsibilities to their children. Enough people follow the government's budgetary skills and spend more than they make. Wonder what the child support arrangements were during the Great Depression?

 

It's a right by law.

There is no right to buy something and not pay for it, but we have bankruptcy laws that allow that.

There is no right to receive compensation because someone gave you a cup of hot coffee and you were stupid enough to put it in your lap, spill it, and burn yourself...but we have laws of negligence that allow that.

 

Hate to say it, but the last time I checked we pay for school buses to pick kids up. Don't know where she goes to school, but I know at West Johnston they sure do have a pretty parking lot to park in. Hope the taxpayer's did not pay for it to be paved.

 

Essentially, yeah.

During the great depression, I don't think there were that many parents that ran out on thier obligation to their kids. Values were different then.

 

See what happens when the government tries to legislate cowmen sense and morality? Anybody dumb enough to ask them for more interpretations?

 

You keep hammering the nail in the coffin on the exact reason why government should be banned from legislating moral and fiscal responsibilities.

 

Maybe some do, but I don't and I have a seperate account for my daughter to put her childsupport in when i do get it, it's been months since I got it last. I claim her on my taxes cause I do 110 percent of the work for her. Take her to soccer and anything else she does. He does nothing. I don't touch her money for myself at all. But, it's all gone now till next time he decides to pay. He is 5000 in the rere right now...
Rush

 

Thanks to my daughter having her license and being able to drive to school next year, I will no longer have to leave work in RTP in the middle of the afternoon so I can pick her up in Raleigh (she goes to a Magnet School) for after-school work and extra curricular activities such as her club meetings. Her curriculum focus is art and history, and there is a lot of after school stuff.

As a parent and a taxpayer, I'm appalled that we have to pay for our kids to park at the Wake County school they attend. I guess those parking fees go towards helping to payback the millions of dollars they let get stolen from the School Transportation Dept. :evil:

 

The worst is the price for lunches now. It is absolutely rediculous. Plus my kids has to double up because they don't get enough food.

 

As a parent and taxpayer I am appalled that you think you should park for free. Who paid for the property the cars to park on? Who pays for the maintenance of the parking lots? Again we should educate children, but the privilege of driving to school and parking should not fall on the taxpayer.

Not even going to get started on that albatross

 

My ex-husband claims our two children on his taxes even though I am the cust. parent. He pays court ordered child support and is court ordered to pay their medical insurance.
Any non-cust. parent can claim the kids, but they have to have permission from the cust. parent, and the cust. parent has to sign a form from the IRS.
I don't spend my kids child support on myself either. Now and then if I need $10 for gas or something and I don't have it, I will borrow it, but I always put it back. That money is for the kids needs and that is what I use it for.
Also, my ex can see the kids anytime he wants.

 

Brown Bag.......then you control the costs and quantity