To all,
I do agree with BigBoi that it doesn't take $900 a month to raise a child but then you have to go by where you live. The cost of living is higher in some places than others. Extra activities are just that, extra. If you want your kid to have lessons in piano, if they want to ski, take swim, go hiking, take gymnastics, what ever's that goig to be extra money, be able to afford it. If the cp wasn't able to afford it before and because they took the ncp back to court and now their getting $40,000 instead of $9,000, fine. But with that extra money, is all that the cp spends in regards to the kid? Thats the question. Theres nothing wrong with using, lets say the first $2000 goes towards bills, rent or mortgage, electric, gas, phone, cable, medical(if you have to pay monthly and you'll aren't getting medicaid), doctors appt's. Lets say after you've gone clothes shopping and you've gotten what they need. What do you do with the other almost $30,000, did you get your kid a savings account where what ever's left goes there towards future college and their future care expenses? Is any of your kids money going towards you getting a new pair of shoes or sneakers, you going to the hairdresser, you going clothes shopping for yourself, you spending your kids money on your other family, your friends or your boy/girlfriends, wife/husband?
I think that's what most people are getting at. The ncp knows that all of the $$$$$$$$$ that they send is not all going on the kids, that's the point. And I feel you. The $$$$$$$ is supposed to be used in the caregivers or cp's discretion, but come on now. Get realisic, name me some cp's who don't use any of their kids $$$$$$$$ on themselves or others, things that don't have anything to do with them?
And I'll call them a liar. I have 3 as I've stated before and it doesn't take me $900 a month to care for them. Our expenses haven't changed from before we were married. Whether your married or not and you break up, things are going to change anyways. There will be 2 house holds to pay for, 2 sets of bills. Larc pointed out about if the cp makes $50,000 and the ncp makes over $200,000, then 17% of ncp's income would be $34,000 and that's what the cs would be. What if its the other way around and the cp is making $200,000 and the ncp's making only $50,000, that means the ncp would be paying $8500 a month, then what. People always assume that the guy is always making more than the female, its not always true. Where does day care come in for the couple who then decides to split up? How ever they had it before, they'd just continue. But say for instance both mom and dad make the same amount, its rare but it can happen. Lets say both make $15,000 a year, 17% of the ncp's income is $2550. So one parents income goes up by $2550 and the others goes down by $2550. Except when tax time comes, of course the cp gets the fed., state, eic and and child credit. The ncp only gets the fed,state, and eic for themselves. The cp gets money back for taking care of the kid and spending money on them. What does the ncp get? As I stated before some boards back, I think a law should be passed that depending on what the ncp paid for cs the year before, they should get back half. I bet you then, there would be more child support paid.