Why is the money I pay for my children not taken into consideration on my tax calculation?

From 2007 I have been supporting the two children from my wife’s previous marriage as well as making a monthly payment to my first wife for our two children of £250.00 (plus a lot of other spontaneous contributions to them directly, as well as paying for ‘dad holidays’). There was also an initial cash settlement of £250,000 that my first wife received from the sale of my family home. Unfortunately my wife’s first husband – Mr. Anthony Clegg – has not made any financial contribution for the upkeep of his children. The CSA are on the case but he seems to slip though their somewhat wide-gauge-net every time they cast out.

A letter received from the CSA back in 2010 reads as follows:

‘As you will be aware, we have referred your case to our legal enforcement team in Newcastle to secure payments through the courts. On 20 March 2008, we obtained a liability order from the magistrates court for arrears of £1,774.20, owed for the period from 6 July 2006 to 24 October 2007. This secured legal recognition of the debt and enabled us to take further action through the courts. Regrettably, although we have referred the debt to bailiffs to collect and considered other options such as a third party debt order, which allows us to recover money from a person’s bank account, or charging order, which allows us to recover money from a property when it is sold, this has proved unsuccessful.’

We suspect that his parents know his address as well as his previous ones. However, as they are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and he has been disfellowshipped by the organisation for acknowledging his homosexuality, they are supposedly not meant to be in any contact with him. This seems to be the convenient public line that they’re taking but in effect have taken a ‘conscience’ decision to ignore this dictum.

In the course of things I have written to Nadine Dorries, Mr. Clegg’s father, a solicitor, my local councillor, FSA Whistleblower (WE (not the CSA) managed to track Mr. Clegg down to a company of which he is a director – Scales Porter) as well as telephoning the CSA every month (see notes attached).

As a self-employed graphic designer, who has experienced the bitter wind of the recent recession I am struggling financially, and feel that I am being penalised by the scurrilous behaviour of another and the ineffectiveness of the CSA. As a consequence of this cumulative hole in our family budget I now find myself servicing a debt of some £26k which is fast approaching melt down due to the interest payments. We have cut out as much as possible even moving into Council House accommodation, the private rental sector being just too expensive. Out of desperation I made enquiries to see if I could draw down from my small private pension to clear my debt but under the rules I can’t do this until I’m 55. I also wonder why is the £250.00 that I contribute to my children’s needs not taken into consideration when my tax calculation is made?

Yours feeling somewhat trapped.