Petition Make child maintenance payments tax deductible

The government should legislate for child maintenance payments to be tax deductible. On the basis that those absent parents who meet their legal obligations to maintain their children save HM Treasury considerable sums in benefits which would otherwise be paid to single parents by the taxpayer, tax relief should be provided. The current system where fathers must pay and mothers choose if or when to comply with access obligations is very disadvantageous to fathers. The system does not ensure that all absent parents adequately maintain their children and therefore it is only fair that tax relief is provided to those that pay and therefore make the system more affordable to those that do meet their legal (and indeed moral) obligations.