PETER Grant, MP for Cardenden and Kinglassie, has joined with other SNP MPs to call upon constituents to help scrap the Tory Government policy to tax victims of domestic abuse for exerting their right to child maintenance.

Peter is urging constituents to sign a petition that calls for the UK Government to remove the 4% collection charge on child maintenance payments that applies to parents using the ‘Collect-and-Pay’ service.

Payments made via this service are managed by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and can be removed directly from the paying parent’s bank account, with powers to ensure maintenance is paid on time and in full, which is sadly not always the case without enforcement action.

The CMS exempt victims of domestic violence from the £20 application fee, but do not make any exemptions from the monthly charges. In response to a written question tabled by SNP MP Angela Crawley, the UK Government said the charges are in place to encourage parents to pause and consider whether they require the ‘Collect-and-Pay’ service – encouraging parents to utilise the less bureaucratic ‘Direct-Pay’ scheme.

However, Peter stressed that the ‘Direct-Pay’ service does not offer the same protections as ‘Collect-and-Pay’ and can continue the cycle of abuse. He is urging constituents to go online and sign the petition at www.domesticabusevictimtax.co.uk

Peter, the MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife said: “These charges are a problem for many parents, and it is unfair that vulnerable parents are punished financially because their ex-partner will not pay what they owe.

"Ultimately the UK Government is advising victims of domestic abuse and others that they should utilise the less safe ‘Direct-Pay’ scheme, which has no powers of enforcement and allows continued communication through bank transfers. The Tories have shown a complete lack of compassion by introducing this charge and even worse, they actually risk putting the lives of domestic abuse victim-survivors and their children in real danger.”

Peter continued: “Locally, Fife Gingerbread’s ‘Bairns Come First’ campaign has highlighted problems with the child maintenance system, particularly around the prohibitive charges parents face in accessing the service. The UK Government must look again at this unfair tax and listen to calls from charities, the public and MPs to scrap it – ultimately, it will be the children that child maintenance payments are intended to support who will lose out.”

Rhona Cunningham, Strategic Manager of Fife Gingerbread said: “The research carried out for the Bairns Come First campaign highlighted that the £20 application fee is a major barrier for parents eligible to claim child maintenance, particularly when many previous experiences of claiming had been stressful and often resulted in no maintenance being paid.

"We feel that using this fee along with a 4% deduction for parents as a deterrent to using ‘Collect and Pay’ is incredibly unfair when receiving child maintenance is a legal right.”