The ‘love tax’: Parkinson’s sufferer fights for change so his partner doesn’t have to be his ‘welfare solution’

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

A former travel agent with early-onset Parkinson’s disease is calling on the Government to scrap what he calls a “love tax” — a welfare rule that strips disabled people of financial support simply because their partner earns an income.

Ricky Andrews’ parliamentary petition has gained about 3500 signatures.

Andrews, 47, of Loburn, North Canterbury, launched the Decouple.NZ campaign after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2020 and finding himself ineligible for any Ministry of Social Development assistance.

“Because I was in a partnership and my partner earned $1000 over the threshold, I wasn’t entitled to any supported living or disability allowance,” he said.

The petition, which closes on Tuesday, urges the Government to ensure eligibility for the community services card, disability allowance, and supported living payment is assessed individually, regardless of a partner’s income, for New Zealanders living with permanent disabilities and chronic illnesses.

“You end up going to your partner for money,” he said. “After 22 years together it’s quite hard.”

“If your partner earns just over $2.73 above minimum wage, the state treats you as wealthy and cancels your community services card.”

Andrews’ partner now works 60 hours a week to cover household expenses, and he has paid the full fees for five GP visits this year.

Andrews was a travel agent before losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic and said he was unable to return to work as his condition had progressed.

He said the ministry assessing support payment applications individually would ensure a sick or disabled partner retained financial autonomy, rather than have their lifeline cut or stripped away entirely.

“It forces sick partners to choose between financial dignity or the person they love,” he said.

By being denied community services cards, disabled people could be choosing to skip primary care visits or therapy because they cannot afford the fees or transport to appointments, he said, and could end up needing more acute care in the hospital system.

“People using their retirement funds to survive will create future state liability. I see the 12-GP-visit requirement for the high use health card as an unaffordable paywall. I think one’s partner shouldn't be a welfare solution.”

Andrews was living with his partner in Kaipara before his diagnosis.

“We were in our early 40s with a mid-life mortgage. We had set up a B&B and planted 300 fruit trees but only had one season before I was diagnosed,” he said.

Selling up and moving to Canterbury meant they were closer to family and had a smaller mortgage, but the cost of living was still hard.

He said the system punished people simply for being in a relationship.

“Love comes at a cost,” he said. “If you enter a relationship you get your welfare payments taken away and your new partner is expected to pay for everything.”

“We’re taxed as individuals, yet support is jointly assessed. Joint income testing is wrong and unfair. They don’t do it in France or Sweden.”

He said when factoring in GST recapture and reduced MSD administrative costs, the net weekly cost of individualising such payments was “incredibly manageable.”

A report in 2019 by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group report found it was possible to completely individualise the welfare and social assistance systems and remove any need for relationship-status testing.