Whether the reduced federal direct tax rate under former Art. 214(2) LIFD belongs to the higher-income or lower-income parent in equal shared custody without child support payments.
Where parents share custody equally, contribute equally to the child’s upkeep, and no maintenance is paid, the reduced rate must be granted to the parent with the lower net income.
The higher-income parent is not necessarily the one who bears the main maintenance burden. In an equal-sharing arrangement, awarding the benefit to the higher-income parent may violate vertical tax capacity, because the lower-income parent bears the heavier relative burden.