I have always paid my IRD formula prescribed amount of Child Tax. Never missed a payment and at times even had to borrow money so I could meet my obligations. In May I lost my job. I have been unemployed ever since. I am not entitled to any form of benefit being a middle class, middle aged married male who has paid his taxes all his life. Soon after I lost my job I filled out an IR104 which allowed me to have my liability assessed on my actual earnings for 2010-2011 instead of my earnings for the previous year. For several months I was allowed to pay the minimum amount which I thought was fair since I still have no income and no job or savings. There was a thing called the Global Financial Crisis but IRD don’t appear to believe me when I tell them that this has prevented me from finding employment since I lost my job in May. By the way I lost my job due to some very dubious practices and I believe I would have had a case for constructive dismissal but I’d had enough so didn’t bother getting litigious. Anyway, I will get to the point. The mother of my children who has a job and multiple benefits did an admin review on me. I declined to take part since it was obvious that I had no income. I mean the IRD people can easily verify that so I thought the result would be “no departure”. Oh how wrong I was!! The Admin Review Officer has decided that I should have to pay the same amount of Child Support as when I had a full time job in the 2009 – 2010 tax year. She has made an assumption that I have deliberately made myself unemployed to avoid child support and thus should continue to pay $1450 per month!! Not only do I have to pay this going forward but she has backdated it to September which has immediately put me in arrears.

Please wise people out there , what the F**k can I do to make these people see reason. I have been told I can’t do my own admin review unless it is based on different grounds to the ones the mother of my children used on me. This makes it impossible because she used grounds 3, 7 and 8 which are precisely the grounds I need to use. I have also been told I could take it to the Family Court if I want it overturned. Yeah right, like that’s going to help!!!! Any ideas?????