Aussies in debt to gov't banned from overseas travel

Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-22 11:25:58|Editor: zh
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CANBERRA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- More than 150,000 Australians who owe the government money will be banned from leaving the country under a plan announced on Saturday.

Under the hardline policy, Australians who refuse to pay debts owed to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or the nation's welfare agency, Centrelink, will not be allowed to take overseas holidays unless they agree to a payment plan.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is hopeful that the policy will recoup at least some of the 800 million Australian dollars (582 million U.S. dollars) owed to the government by its citizens.

"If you've got longstanding tax debts and you've been warned and warned and warned and warned and warned, and you're thumbing your nose at everyone else paying tax and you're saying, 'Tough for you. I'm going to get on a plane'," Morrison told News Corp Australia.

"You're actually insulting your fellow Australians who pay for the welfare system."

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has already issued orders to stay in the country to 20 culprits with efforts to be ramped-up in the coming months.

"If you received a payment you were not entitled to, you have an obligation to repay the money you owe and we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure it is recovered," Michael Keenan, the Minister for Human Services, said in a statement.

"The money that funds the welfare system has been earned by hardworking Australians and they expect us to make sure that system operates with integrity, that people get the support that they need and that they're not getting more out of the system than they're entitled to."

The policy will only apply to those who no longer receive welfare.

Payment plans will be calculated based on an individual's circumstances.

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