I have never asked for any maintenance from my children's absent father (age 3 and 5), although he does own two mortgage-free properties (one tied up in probate with his brother though), several cars, earns thousands selling specialist items on eBay but offers only minimum CSA contributions of £2.50 a week per child as he also (fraudently) claims benefits.
However, this year, I have had to take him out of his one morning per week nursery placement as I couldn't afford the £36 a month, my housing benefit has been cut by £100 with the new LHA calculations and I am now in debt with all three utility companies, two of whom are now auto deducting direct from benefits, needless to say, a humungous amount. I am currently a month and half behind with rent, because I have to use the rent as a float. My food cupboards are empty, my rent is due, so I must decide - Tesco online food shop or pay rent :/
Anyway, my question is, has anyone had experience of or heard of someone selling through eBay and being successfully chased by the taxman? I am reluctant to dob him in, but as I cannot get access to credit, cannot find a suitable job with part-time hours that would pay enough to even cover half of my rent here (village location, daughter in village school, I really don't want to uproot us all again to move somewhere cheaper..) I feel as if I have no choice for the first time.
I am currently selling peices of my furniture and literally the clothes off my back to make ends meet (all my Boden and Monsoon, Cath Kidston dresses...not ever able to afford to replace them again that is for sure) so I think I have reached desperation saturation point really.
But...do you just email the taxman and give his eBay ID? (Not that I know it, I think he's using a friend's right now). Are they even allowed to access info like his bank account/Paypal account? And lastly (mostly), I left a violent relationship with out two children, he would know I have dobbed him in, is it really worth the risk?
It is safe to say I am about to be bankrupted and can see us being evicted within months at this rate.
Exactly how do you go about informing various agencies that an absent father is lying about his income, because they will need proof, and of course I cannot provide proof of the houses he owns or his income, and he uses various fake names anyway so they would also have a hard time tracking him down. Effectively, I suppose, he is quite criminal in his dealings in this respect.
I am also posting this on other Topics in case traffic is slow in Lone Parents.
Thankyou anyone.