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Parents that use the Child Support Agency (CSA) to make and receive maintenance parents are set to be charged for the service the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. The CSA is set to be replaced by a new organisation, the Child Maintenance Service, and it has been estimated that approximately 50,000 parents that are currently using the CSA will receive letters informing them of the introduction of these fees – along with the details of the relevant charges – within the next few weeks. Under these new arrangements, the paying parent will be required to pay a fee totalling 20 per cent of their maintenance payment to the Child Maintenance Service, whilst the receiving parent will be required to pay the organisation 4 per cent. A government spokesperson has argued that these changes are necessary as the current setup effectively eradicates the need for separated parents to come to amicable arrangements regarding maintenance and that the resultant costs have been shouldered by the taxpayer. Fiona Weir, the chief executive of single-parent charity Gingerbread, has argued that these charges are ‘concerning’ noting that whilst many parents are able to amicably agree maintenance, many are not and would be unable to do so without assistance. Weir furthered her argument by noting that charges are likely to deter many parents from making new arrangements or lead to them arriving at arrangements that are simply not suitable meaning that children will not receive the support they require. What do you think? Should parents that use the Child Maintenance Service be required to pay a fee in order to ease the burden on taxpayers or should this service be free. Share your opinion by leaving a comment.