NSW 's Damien Tudehope demands payment of quarantine fees, but still refuses to provide itemised invoices for health services provided - meanwhile the tax invoice NSW sent Queensland for quarantine fees may contain detail that will require re-issuance of ALL quarantine fee invoices
by Ganesh Sahathevan
Premier Dominic Perrotet, the former Treasurer
The Daily Telegraph has reported this morning that travellers still owe $ 110 Million in quarantine fees. NSW Finance Minister Damien Tudehope is quoted saying:
“It is only fair to the rest of the taxpayers in NSW that people in hotel quarantine pay their fees due,” he said.
“Don’t put the invoice aside for another day, contact us about making a payment, entering into a payment plan, an extension to pay or other hardship measures that may be available.
“Revenue NSW has a range of options when it comes to resolving these invoices. Get in touch today and get on top of it.”
Meanwhile Tudehope and his fellow NSW ministers responsible for the quarantine fee, Brad Hazzard,Dominic Dominello and the former treasurer, now Premier Dom Perrotet, are still stonewalling requests from this writer for an itemised invoice for quarantine fees, and continue to demand payment of the invoice as if it is a penalty imposed by the NSW Government(see story below).
However, when the former Treasurer Perrotet issued his infamous $30 million invoice to the Queensland Government for quarantine fees he included a GST component. Put in another way, Perrotet, who is now premier, decided that when dealing with the Queensland Government the quarantine fee was in fact a service that had been provided, not some arbitrary penalty that the NSW Government imposed on arrivals by air into Sydney, for which an itemised invoice need not be provided.
While Tudehope speaks of payment of the fee being "only fair" elsewhere he has indicated that he is trying to recover fees for non-health services, despite imposition of the fee being justified by Section 70 of the NSW Health Act, which concerns health services only.
It does appear as is Perrotet, Tudehope, Hazzard and Dominello have gotten themselves into a position where their quarantine fee notices will have to be re-issued as proper invoices, with a GST component, and itemised to show what health services have been provided.
An invoice for a fee that is a penalty: Dominello's Revenue NSW will issue a statement of claim against anyone who seeks to challenge Hazzard's Quarantine Fee invoice
by Ganesh Sahathevan
This writer has been informed in writing by Minister for Digital Victor Dominello's Revenue NSW officers that anyone wishing to challenge Health Minister Brad Hazzard's Quarantine Fee Invoice will be issued a statement of claim by Revenue NSW.
That turns what has been described as a fee for services provided anyone who is required to be quarantined into a penalty. The invoice issued by Ministers Hazzard and Dominello for quarantine fees has therefore become much like a penalty or fine for speeding or some other traffic infringement.
How NSW Health accounts for the above in its own books remains a mystery.
TO BE READ WITH
by Ganesh Sahathevan
Victor Dominello
NSW Health is in charge of administering NSW's COVID hotel quarantine system for arrivals by air. Those who have been quarantined for the mandatory 14 days are invoiced for their hotel stay by Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), which is part of NSW Health. The minister ultimately responsible is the NSW Minister For Health Brad HAzzard.
The invoice however is issued, and enforced, by Revenue NSW, and the minister ultimately responsible for that is Victor Dominello, who likes to be known as the Minister For Digital.
Additionally, any queries about the invoice sent SLHD are directed to Revenue NSW.In fact, SLHD has informed this writer that it has been directed by NSW Health to do so, and cannot answer any queries about the particulars of its own invoice.In other words, the parties to the invoice cannot speak to each other; the person to whom the invoice is issued can only speak with Revenue NSW NSW with regards any concerns about the invoice.
If the invoice is not paid when it falls due, Revenue NSW will pursue the matter with the help of debt collectors. Again, NSW Health and SLHD does not get involved.
All of the above raises accounting issues for SLHD Chief Executive, Teresa Anderson, who has ultimate responsible for SLHD's financial statements, which must be prepared, signed off by her, and then consolidated into NSW Health's financial statements. The individual and consolidated statements must then be tabled in Parliament by the Brad Hazzard.
However, without actual control of the revenue, it is hard to see what Ms Andersen might be accounting for. And that is not all; SLHD incurs costs in administering the hotel quarantine system, even if it has not control of the revenue. It is in a position where the cash is going out, but there may not be anything coming in.
Questions about the above were put to Ms Andersen, but she has refused to provide answers. Meanwhile a large cash income , if not, cash deficit might be developing at SLHD, impairing its ability to provide health services to the people of Sydney.
END
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