Germany's proposed cuts to child support payments penalize the wrong people

Germany's family minister, Karin Prien, plans to cut state advance payments for children of single parents, a move criticized as unfairly penalizing those least able to bear the cost. The advance payment system, designed to support children when one parent fails to pay child support, has seen its costs quadruple in recent years, reaching over 4 billion euros in accumulated debt from non-repaid advances.

Prien's proposal includes shortening the period for which these advances are paid and reducing the overall amount. This decision comes despite the fact that roughly half of all single parents in Germany receive no financial support from the other parent. The state is meant to cover this gap and then recoup the costs from the non-paying parent, but the system's effectiveness in debt collection is poor, with the state only recovering about 20% of the advanced funds.

Critics argue that this approach punishes the children and single parents instead of focusing on enforcing payment from the non-custodial parent, who is typically the father. The article suggests that collecting unpaid fines is pursued with more vigor than collecting child support. This situation highlights a perceived lack of ambition and effectiveness in the state's debt collection efforts, raising questions about the country's commitment to enforcing parental responsibility.