Letters: Fathers should be named to spare taxpayers

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni during Question Time in Parliament. Photo/File

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni and her Government are being weak in removing the sanction regarding mothers who don't tell authorities the name of the father.

She says that such single-parent families will be better off by $34 per week, costing us $113 million.

Why?

Isn't the purpose of the father being named to enable we taxpayers to then obtain a contribution from the father which is effectively then being passed on to the mother as caregiver? There is probably already a racket going on between mothers and fathers, and for others, there would be threats if they name the father. That scenario will worsen.

Why should the taxpayer suffer? Why shouldn't a child know who its father is? Even if the mother genuinely doesn't know, then DNA testing will ultimately reveal the father, and presumably, there is a mechanism for then levying the liable parent?

Further, shouldn't a child know its father for such purposes as a possible inheritance, for a family association, for possible future health requirements?

Why is the Coalition Government effectively supporting the father in this issue and not the particular children themselves, and we taxpayers? The answer, in my view, is that Minister Sepuloni and her cohorts haven't thought it through and don't care.

Even worse, the Government is only further encouraging a dependency mentality that is to the fore these days.

Bill Capamagian

Tauranga

User pays

I agree with the letter (March 22) regarding the dictatorship by the council on recycling.

We bought recycling bins years ago and recycle at the transfer station as and when required. Perhaps they could have a register of responsible recyclers recorded.

Rates are high enough when on National Super without unnecessary charges that we do not need or want.

Sue Barnard
Tauranga

Budget wishlists

Regarding your lead news on what people want from budget (News, May 27); everybody wants. Not one offered to pay more tax to fund their wants.

If you get what you want, then someone has to miss out. Simple really.

P. Dillon
Tauranga

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