The Australasian Man Trap
One of the most important aspects of government from its own perspective is its funding lines.
What we’ve been used to in New Zealand, especially since the introduction of PAYE (Pay as you earn) is accept it and if you’re lucky you might get a tax return at the end of the year.
What many of us have noticed as separated fathers is the additional child tax that is forcible removed from us. This is where, as men, we need to start looking at the bigger picture. Many things are changing around us.
At the top of the list is the increasing tension between the superpowers, China and USA. They exist on opposite sides of the Pacific, and effectively sit above us, isolating Australia and New Zealand from the rest of the world. Both sides are behaving aggressively for possession of the pacific, and will do so, until they reach a point of conflict.
Both Australia and New Zealand Defence Forces will this year analyse the risks of this pacific tension and determine our own military requirements, for the near future. Nothing like being a bit strapped for cash at a time when you are looking at another inevitable global conflict.
We have since the late 1800s, developed and become reliant on agricultural exports, as the basis of our economy. More recently, we have seen the prominence and dominance of Fonterra and dairy products filling this space, however the global export giant is now in some difficulty as it enters its second year of trading at 60% of break even, and in the face of global economic uncertainty, and recession.
In terms of being a global giant we must not forget that while New Zealand has occupied 50% of the cross border trade, we produce a very small percentage of the global milk supply. We rely on shipping to get our product out. There are two problems of course, in that shipping during times of conflict is a bit dicey and unpredictable, and while we are closely allied to the US, as one of their strategic assets, we would lose one of our biggest customers, China.
You may not be familiar with the other recent posts, The Pillage of New Zealand Men The secret Secret-Court of New Zealand and New Child Tax Assaults in New Zealand and the changing nature of Child Support through the implementation of the new legislation in 2015.
What will also change is the relationship between the two jurisdictions of Australia and New Zealand. We will consider amongst other things this year, whether or not to have a joint ANZAC Military. If you’ve been following the conversation on child support you will have noticed, that in respect of child support New Zealand and Australia are a common jurisdiction already, with a singular boundary.
You may be following the new Australian Visa Policy: if they don’t like a man’s character, they lock him up with the choice of voluntary acceptance of deportation (never to return) or a long weight in a detention centre for a review. They’ve locked up 600 people in the last two years, and there’s no indication that’s slowing down.
Whether you have children in the Australia is immaterial; falling foul of this policy will see Dad living back in New Zealand or facing a long wait in detention. This will impact significantly on separated fathers. You will see in the new child support legislation the section to stop child support accumulating while incarcerated or hospitalised has been repealed. Fight your deportation and get a big bill, or accept deportation and lose seeing your children.
One could say a lot more about the complexities and possible scenarios that will arise from hostilities between the US and China, however before, and as this does eventuate, we will see an increasing strain on funding lines to a Government, that will increasing look to child support from the individual worker to fund its activities, as economic realities strain our economy.
For the next generation taxation and child support will be compliances beyond that which those of us here have complained so loudly about.
Whether you wish to be a father in such an environment is something anyone should give serious consideration to, and something we should be discussing with our children now.
Not having kids is the answer and reducing population growth (less babies being born) is probably an unannounced government policy underpinning the anti-male activities you mention.
Comment by JR — Thu 21st January 2016 @ 1:15 pm
Yes why bother funding child education etc when you can ship asians into the work force no expence. NZ is currently going through a massive cultural change. We are being asianised and no politacal party even seems to want to seriously talk about it (it wasnt even an issue at the last election) House prices are going through the roof funded by Chinese funny money and the baby boomers are cashing in and leaving the under 30s with no hope of owning houses, a huge goverenment debt and the tax burden of supporting all the oxygen thieves.
Its an absolute discrace. Add to the under 30s all the divorced fathers who lost there houses and aren’t financially sound enough to get a mortgage. A society of winners and lossers through government policy regardless of what you do for a job. I suppose to be a high income earner but am skrewed. My ex wife got a mortgage because she was on the DPB and had a guaranteed income for the next 15 years.
Comment by Richie — Thu 21st January 2016 @ 7:16 pm
Yes Richie (#2): When it comes to borrowing for a mortgage the Catch-22 is that if you are liable for so-called (dishonestly called) ‘child support’, the 35% or greater ongoing liability against your after-tax earnings seriously reduces what banks will lend you. When you are supporting your partner and children directly the need to spend money on them isn’t put into the bank’s calculations and you are seen as having all that money available to pay back your loan, but when you have to pay so-called ‘child support’ it’s treated as a debt. The result is that most separated fathers suddenly find they are unable to borrow enough to buy a house, or to borrow much for other investment or business purposes against equity in property they already own. In many cases this means that separated fathers simply can’t get ahead financially. In addition, the formula for so-called ‘child support’ is based on percentage of earnings and goes up to ridiculous amounts far above any reasonable cost to provide for children, and the result is that many separated fathers lose the incentive to work harder or earn more. What’s the point of more work and greater stress when income taxes plus child tax will leave you with less than 40% in your hand of what you earn?
The parent receiving so-called ‘child support’ however can simply add that booty to non-taxable, i.e. after-tax income that can be used to maintain greater mortgage payments, and can therefore borrow 30+% more than they otherwise would have been able to. The banks take no cognizance of the receiving parent’s supposed obligation to spend the so-called ‘child support’ on the children; it is simply added to what that parent is seen to be able to pay loan installments with.
The justification usually offered for this and the other inequities in the so-called ‘child support’ regime is that the receiving parent has to provide an adequate home for the children, commensurate with what they were used to before the parental separation. That justification falls down in several respects. Firstly, the paying parent has at least as much need as the receiving parent to provide accommodation for his children if they are to spend meaningful time staying with him; indeed, the need is probably greater for the paying parent because his place has to be attractive enough for the children to want to disrupt their usual residential lifestyle in order to spend time with Dad. Secondly, the mother’s ability to borrow more can just as easily reduce the children’s welfare; for example, she can borrow against equity in her house in order to maintain her P habit or to buy more shoes. Thirdly, the property she buys with her so-called ‘child support’ will remain hers after the children have become independent and she can choose whether to leave any of it to them in her will. The child tax has simply enabled her to enrich herself.
Comment by Man X Norton — Fri 22nd January 2016 @ 7:50 am
There’s another aspect that can be factored into the above post: Student Loans.
As the economy contracts, educated men with large student loans will find it harder to get work, relative to their study. The option to arrest at the border exists for student loans as well as child support.
Comment by Downunder — Fri 22nd January 2016 @ 9:16 am
Looking further at #4
This is something we haven’t looked at in detail through a post, but this 70% would be mostly men, who have accrued a debt for an education that is of no financial benefit to them in New Zealand.
Teaching is a good example were there is an oversupply of applicants and men are discriminated against.
Comment by Downunder — Fri 22nd January 2016 @ 9:22 am
Reading through the media I don’t see any mention of names other than ‘an airport’ and a ‘a court’.
Interesting.
Comment by Downunder — Fri 22nd January 2016 @ 10:01 am
Here we go.
Ngatokotoru Puna, 40 year old nephew of the Cook Islands PM, and head of the Maths Department in Rarotonga, has had his passport returned after making a significant repayment to his loan.
He appeared in the Manukau District Court last Monday.
Comment by Downunder — Fri 22nd January 2016 @ 10:20 am
Gosh, and now the media is full of women who are scared to go to the airport in case they get arrested for unpaid student loans …
Comment by Downunder — Sat 23rd January 2016 @ 5:58 am
Yeh it would be women because they love to go on the dpb then reeducate themselves doing women studies. Gosh the government want the money back thats sexiest!!!
Comment by Richie — Sat 23rd January 2016 @ 1:43 pm
Conspiracy abound.Child support is collected NY the government and how’s to the custodial parent.End.
Comment by tracey — Mon 8th February 2016 @ 5:20 am
Correction:-Conspiracy Theories Abound .You do know that Child Support is either paid to the Custodial Parent or used to partly defray cost of DPB.End of story!Grow up and get real for pitys sake!
Comment by Tracey — Mon 8th February 2016 @ 8:50 am
Reality Tracey; you mean funding women’s unjustifiable sense of self entitlement?
We know what you mean.
Comment by Downunder — Mon 8th February 2016 @ 9:54 am
How does this help in getting money to the child? It doesn’t, because you aren’t earning while incarcerated or hospitalised. What it does do, however, is increase the “debt” to the government. Penalties and interest will accrue, and these will be payable to the government, not the child. Clever old government.
Comment by Ted — Mon 8th February 2016 @ 12:03 pm
Ted: Follow the money, you’ll see it’s a lot more sinister than that if you do some research.
Might write a post on it some time.
Comment by Downunder — Mon 8th February 2016 @ 12:14 pm