Mr. Speaker, several of my constituents have brought to my attention their concerns that there is a grave problem with the taxation of child support payments.
Child support is paid for the benefit of the children, not the custodial parent. According to statistics, 60 per cent of single parent families live below the poverty line. Child support does not cover the cost of raising a child. However, for income tax purposes child support is considered part of the income of the custodial parent as opposed to the income of the contributing parent.
Therefore, I call upon the ministers of finance and national revenue to review this problem, to find a solution that will create greater equity between the custodial and contributing parents.