At the opening of the legal year 2017, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menor announced that a committee has been established to derive norms for child maintenance in Singapore, also known as child support in Singapore, based on “actuarial data” on family expenses. The objective is to ensure that there is more consistency across cases.
From the data, Judges will be better equipped to decide on quantum of child maintenance in Singapore as the committee will provide quantitative guidance to the Judges. Further, parents and children who are in similar situations will be treated similarly.
According to a spokesman from the Family Justice Courts, the experiences of other countries show that such a tool will reduce acrimony and help in settlements between parents as the calculation of child maintenance in Singapore will become more objective.
The Committee will be chaired by Judicial Commissioner Valerie Thean and President of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants Gerard Ee.
According to Mr Ee, the Committee will take into account the cost of living and the costs of raising children of different age groups. He noted that while factors exist presently to determine child maintenance in Singapore, the outcome is also influenced by arguments put forth by lawyers.
See: Faris Mokhtar, “Committee to look into setting norms for child maintenance”, Today, 10 January 2017
Presently, there is no child support calculator Singapore. A template which the Committee will come up with, will serve as a form of child support calculator Singapore. Parents will have a better idea of what they need to pay for by using the tool. Similarly, Judges will be better equipped. There will be more objectivity.
I am all for the idea of a child support calculator Singapore, should it materialize.
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