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Letter: Failed CSA should now be scrapped
I AM writing to comment on the massive amount of child maintenance that is outstanding in the Leeds and Wakefield areas and even more worrying, the whole of the UK.
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I cannot understand why this huge, incompetent government department is allowed to carry on operating as it has for 20 years, with such an appalling record.
There is no excuse for anyone who is on PAYE to be allowed to owe money to this draconian department. After hearing too many horror stories of how this department has hounded ordinary, hard-working people, in some instances to commit suicide, with their outlandish and unreasonable demands. Also, anyone in receipt of benefits could quite easily have money deducted by one government department (DWP) and given to another government department (CSA) before they have a chance to spend it. They should have to contribute, just like working people.
One single mother who is in receipt of housing benefit has run up arrears of £3,500, in the full knowledge that the council will not evict her because of her three children. This cynical abuse of the system is multiplied thousands of times in each city in Britain.
Why is housing benefit and child maintenance not paid directly to the council, landlord or parent, to whom it is owed and intended? Why give drug addicts, smokers, boozers and bingo addicts the first bite of the cherry! Pay your bills first, then use whatever you have left for pleasure. Of course, it was Labour who said it stigmatised the benefit recipient to take the money off them first, rather than pay it where it is intended.
The CSA should be scrapped and a return made to the tried and tested method of appearing before local magistrates, who know the area, the people they are dealing with, and come to a common sense amount and agreement between the two parties.
The CSA is too big an organisation, unwieldy and remote from its customers, not knowing the circumstances of each action. It can never work for this very reason, apart from the massive cost, which could be saved.
B Duffy, by email
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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WakefieldWho
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 09:53 AMThis writer clearly has no concept of what CSA is used for and even more apparent can't decide what they are whinging about, benefits or CSA....CSA isn't a benefit, it is money contributed by the parent without care for the upkeep of their childchildren. While I agree yes CSA is rubbish and people are left to get away with not paying while others are charged stupid amounts, it shouldn't be the parent with care that has to suffer while its usually the father that gets away with it and lives a life of luxury
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