Taffet and Taffet (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an application by the paying parent, Mr. Taffet, to review a child support assessment. The dispute concerned whether Mr. Taffet was affected by prescribed circumstances, specifically whether he had provided income details within a reasonable time, which would allow for an adjustment to his adjusted taxable income for the purposes of the child support assessment.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the paying parent had established that he was affected by prescribed circumstances, as defined by the relevant legislation, which would permit a departure from the standard assessment. This involved assessing whether the delay in providing income particulars was reasonable in the circumstances.

The Tribunal found that the paying parent had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that he was affected by prescribed circumstances. The legislation requires that income details be provided within a reasonable time, and the Tribunal concluded that the delay in this instance was not justified. Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the original decision and substituted its own decision, upholding the child support assessment as initially made.