Review UK Support Payments Policy!

To me the system seems to assume that the male divorcee will be earning a good wage, and the female divorcee will be staying at home to raise the children. And I "guess" that in a majority of cases this actually is the situation. But what about the remaining cases? I'll use me and Sam's mummy as an example.

When we divorced I was earning very reasonable money in the RAF and Sarah was not working. The divorce settlement dictated that I pay 15% of my earnings to her, to support Sam. Fine.

Soon after and I was made redundant and Sarah took a teaching job. Complete reversal of the situation. Since then I've meticulously paid Sarah 15% of everything I earn. Currently that is a small RAF pension, and almost insignificant wages from cleaning and newspaper distribution. In effect my already very, very low income is taxed at 37% (22% Income Tax and 15% maintenance).

I'm finding it extremely tough keeping my head above water and raising the rent each month on the flat - as well as providing for Sam when he's with me. In December I made a loss over the month of £220, which I can't cope with for very long. My payments to Sarah keep her supplied with life's bare essentials - Sky TV, new laptops, refurbished kitchen etc. To her credit, Sarah was almost embarrassed to tell me last week "I get paid 29k, and Rich gets 25k". She's even offered to let some payments slip too, which is a really fantastic gesture. But I have a conscience to contend with, so the 15% will continue to be paid, on all my disparate incomes. Equally I know that Sarah feels slightly awkward about receiving the money.

It's seems incongruous to me that a system designed to prevent hardship for the female divorcee can actually cause hardship for the male.

Now, I don't begrudge them their money, indirectly it helps Sam. But I think the system of divorce settlement needs to be looked at. Maybe there could be "what if" clauses included, so that the amounts are adjusted each year according to each parent's income. Maybe payments should cease if the male's income drops below a certain level, or the female's rises above a set threshold? Equally, maybe the male's payment percentage could be increased if his earnings go up and up?

Incidentally, have you seen those Coinstar machines (see pic) in supermarkets recently? They helpfully count your loose change and you can reclaim it from customer services. Or so I thought! I needed petrol today so I walked up to Tesco, bag of coins weighing down my recycled jute shopping bag (how twee), only to discover that there is a small commission charge. Actually, a not-so-small charge - 7.9%! What a rip-off. So until I can get to the bank and pay in some shrapnel I'll have to be careful if I use the car. Ho hum.

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