What happens if you fail to pay for hotel quarantine fees?

For those who have been held in hotel quarantine, the Gov will send you a bill and it can be over $2k. That's a lot of money for younger people. What happens if you failed to pay up but not qualified for an exemption or reduced fee?

Care to share? Thanks.

 

Have a friend who returned to Qld from Sydney, he chose to pay the $3,200 quarantine fee to be able to "go home" to what at that point a safer place......
He thought it was cheap and was happy to pay.
I imagine that they will either chase you for it as a debt, or take it out of any tax return (including interest) until such time as it's paid

 

The fees are outlined here
Quarantine fees and payment
Along with payment details. I can only assume they would take it out of any Tax refunds in the future if you didn't pay? Only a guess.

 

They deport you.

 

And if quarantine is in Hotel California?

 

The NSW government was really quick in sending out invoices for hotel quarantine - in our case within a week of us leaving prison hotel. We have no choice but to 'cough up' - and we asked for 6 months interest free instalment, paying every fortnight via bPay.

 

There was an article about a month or so ago in Perth regarding expenses for hotel quarantine etc so far and one of the items listed was unpaid and overdue fees, it was a shockingly high percentage to be honest. I vaguely remember there being a reference to external debt collectors being involved after a certain amount of time. There are also a number who have left the country I believe, with those debts being considered unlikely to be repaid

 

WA taxpayers owed $20m in unpaid quarantine hotel bills

Debt collectors chasing close to $150,000 in unpaid WA hotel quarantine bills

Looks like only $150k of the total $20m outstanding as of May had been referred to debt collectors.

Unfortunately with hotel quarantine being administered by states and not federal govt I suspect it will be an extra step to recover funds not paid cos ATO can't get involved

 

bit like student loans

 

Wow debt collector! That’s pretty tough. I’d better tell my young friends to pay up. Apparently only you are taking some kind of Centrelink benefits then you are eligible for a reduction or exemption.

 

Quite unlike the song, they would kick you out so they could charge you!

 

Yep, nobody likes a covid bludger.

 

Don't underestimate owing money to the government - they'll get it back either via reduced Centrelink payments - via income tax returns - or - they do have the authority to simply take from your bank account (as I have seen occur with those who have reneged on child support)

 

As @Lizzie said, Governments will get their pound of flesh.