2012 Appeal: A fair go for all kiwi kids
Stop discrimination against our poorest children
CPAG needs your help to get to the Court of Appeal and beyond
Stop discrimination against our poorest children
CPAG is launching its 2012 Appeal Campaign on 4 March - National Children's Day to raise funds to take our Human Rights case to the Court of Appeal and beyond if necessary.
We need to raise $50,000 by the end of May 2012. Click here to donate
Find out more about how you can help by reading the below
The High Court agrees that the In Work Tax Credit discriminates against some of our poorest children.
Yet discrimination continues.
We need your help to stop government discrimination and take our case to the Court of Appeal and beyond if necessary.
Where we stand.
Since 2004 CPAG has challenged the Government over its discriminatory In Work Tax Credit (IWTC) which is a government payment to help with the costs of children. CPAG argues that the IWTC is unlawfully discriminatory as it is denied to the families of beneficiaries and this denial keeps many children in poverty while aiming to incentivise their parents to work.
Beneficiary families are ineligible for the IWTC even when work is not available, or when parents cannot meet the IWTC work requirements because of their child-caring responsibilities, disability or sickness.
Families lose their right to the IWTC even when they lose work because of events beyond their control like recession, illness or an earthquake.
In November 2011, the High Court ruled that the IWTC is discriminatory in part.
But the High Court said that this discrimination could be justified because the purpose of the IWTC is to incentivise parents into work.
CPAG disagrees. Discrimination cannot be justified when so many beneficiary families are in poverty for reasons outside their control. This is especially true for children who have no capacity to act in this matter.
Now we are preparing to appeal on this point to the Court of Appeal and if we fail there, to the Supreme Court.
Why we need you.
Until now, the Office of Human Rights Proceedings at the Human Rights Commission has paid for CPAG’s top legal team. The Office is pledging to continue providing our junior counsel, but can no longer offer any funding for our senior counsel, court fees or expenses. Our counsel has committed to do some of the work pro bono.
To take our case to the Appeal Court and beyond we need to raise $50,000.
The case has its first hearing at the end of March 2012 to determine if and what parts of the decision can be appealed.
You can make your donation in these ways
1. Internet banking: Kiwibank 38-9003-0066858-00 please use CPAG Appeal and your name as a reference
2. Send cheques to CPAG Appeal, PO Box 5611, Wellesley St, Auckland
3. Credit card via PayPal: Click here to donate
If you need more information to be convinced ours is a worthy cause here are more facts...
The IWTC is part of the Working for Families package that was set up to address issues of child poverty and incentivise people into work. It is worth $60 per week for families with 1-3 children, and more for larger families. However those children whose parents cannot work a certain number of hours or are on an income-tested benefits are ineligible for IWTC, and so they don’t get this money. It’s a large amount to lose for families already struggling to make ends meet.
CPAG is arguing that this is discrimination against children on the basis of their parents’ work status, which is prohibited under the Human Rights Act. CPAG agrees that there should be a gap between work and beneficiary income, and incentives to work but strongly disagrees with linking adults’ incentives to work to financial support necessary to raise their children. The harm to beneficiary children is disproportionate to the gain to society by having a work incentive.
The Government’s own estimates are that only 2 – 5 % of beneficiary families are able to leave the benefit and obtain the IWTC (by getting a job or starting a relationship with somebody who is in paid work). Yet the IWTC excludes the entire group of beneficiary parents and their children. More than 200,000 children are affected by this discrimination. They are the poorest children in New Zealand.
Our Objectives
A child's potential is a terrrible thing to waste.
Child Poverty Action Group is an independent charity working to eliminate child poverty in New Zealand. CPAG works on behalf of the 230,000 New Zealand children whose well-being and future is compromised by their meagre standard of living.
The Latest
Released Jan 2012
CPAG is pleased to release its critique of the Welfare Working Group's Final Report and Recommendations pertaining to the wellbeing of children.
2012 Appeal
The High Court agrees that the In Work Tax Credit discriminates against some of our poorest children.
Yet discrimination continues.
We need your help to stop Government discrimination and take our case to the Court of Appeal.
Our guiding principle, is the right of every child in New Zealand to security, food, shelter, education and healthcare. Child Poverty Action Group