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Child support plates. Waldemar Żurek speaks out
According to Waldemar Żurek, head of the Ministry of Justice, the child support tables are inadequately calibrated; he mentioned that these payments are often perceived as either excessively low or overly high. He noted that the purpose of family law is also to regulate disputes between parents, and he will work to ensure that both sides have equal footing in court.
During a press briefing on Thursday, the Minister of Justice evaluated that the figures within the alimony tables, which provide estimated amounts for alimony payments, are poorly calibrated. Żurek indicated that he had halted progress on this matter on his first day in the role, but he stressed that this does not imply that the ministry will cease its efforts. „Well-calibrated alimony tables exist in other European nations, benefiting both those who must go to court for alimony cases and the legal practitioners, such as judges,” he remarked.
Żurek: solutions need to be calibrated
Żurek further expressed that the planned modifications aim to eradicate alimony debts and, as a result, prevent the government from incurring significant additional expenses. „We hear claims that these alimony amounts are either too low or too high,” he underscored.
The Minister of Justice conveyed his desire to see the revised child support tables introduced alongside other measures, as he believes that family law’s objective is to mediate parental disputes. „These solutions must be (…) calibrated to avoid giving one party an advantageous position in court right away, as this discourages negotiation,” he pointed out.
– I will engage with all organizations and gather these effective examples from Europe and around the world – the minister assured.
They vanished from the ministry’s website
At the end of July, the child support notifications were removed from the Ministry of Justice’s website. „They are intended to be helpful rather than contentious. We will reassess them,” stated Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz, Deputy Minister of Justice, on Platform X.
A few days prior, the Ministry of Justice had announced the creation of so-called alimony tables, which were to be sent to all appellate courts nationwide. The goal was to aid judges in making decisions regarding alimony cases. The ministry anticipated that this would help reduce the length of proceedings.
The figures in the table represented the estimated monthly expenses required to meet the basic needs of the eligible individual, including food, housing, education, culture, health, hygiene, transportation, communication, and other reasonable costs.
The child support table included standard monthly benefit amounts, calculated based on three essential factors: the income of the individual responsible for paying child support, the child’s age, and the number of children for whom the individual owes child support.
The Ministry emphasized that the table does not remove the discretion of family judges to adjust the child support amounts according to the specific needs of each child and the financial capabilities of the parent, affirming that each case is evaluated on an individual basis.
Controversy surrounding the tables
The child support tables released by the Ministry of Justice have faced criticism online. They were said to neglect the distinction between gross and net income, potentially leading to inflated child support amounts.
Critics also highlighted that the fixed income brackets do not accurately represent real-life circumstances.
Read also: The Ministry of Justice revealed the alimony tables >>>
