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Should The Federal Government Place A Cap On Child Support

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Many people believe that should the Federal Government place a cap on child support, that support will remain the same throughout the child’s life. In addition, CP’s would argue that the Federal Government should not be involved in such matters, when in fact it has already placed its hand in the pot by seizing federal tax refunds or the denial of a new or re-finance mortgage until the current arrearages are paid in full. It has further been argued by many that child support payments do not cover enough of the current support of the child, let alone cover the "extras" a child may need now or in the future, therefore, no cap should be placed on child support obligations. As stated above, the CP has the right to ask for modification of a …show more content…

What some of the CPs do not take into consideration is: (1) What happens if the other person loses their job and they are depending on that money for the sole purpose of a specific payment; (2) What happens when the support obligation ends (such as it being factored into a 30-year mortgage); and, (3) What happens when a child needs reoccurring expenses, such as new clothes or school supplies. The child support agencies do not take into consideration if the CP is receiving any type of assistance from a State agency, employment, or other resources in paying their portion of one-half of these expenses. Matter of fact, while the NCP is then required to reimburse the State agency for the TANF, Medicaid expenses, in addition paying the above-mentioned fees, they are not entitled to get the relief of the earned income tax credit per the IRS statutes. In addition, while the NCP is paying child support, plus one-half of the above listed fees, they do not get the tax benefit of the child on their tax return. Currently it is suggested that the Earned Income Tax Credit is being used as a "gift" rather than a credit for the children for the remaining of the year. As noted by Kelly Phillips Erb (2016), "Also on the list? Plastic surgery. More Americans than ever before will be using their tax returns to pay for

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