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National Party leader Judith Collins is criticizing the government for the small amount it has managed to recover from returnees who use the country’s 32 border hotels.
Only 23 individuals or families had paid their bills for their 14-day stays as of last Wednesday, meaning only $ 72,250 has been recovered since the collection system was introduced two months ago.
With 474 outstanding bills, the collection scheme, which was intended to ease the financial burden on the taxpayer, has been questioned like a lame duck, doing little to recoup some of the $ 499 million budgeted for managed isolation or quarantine (MIQ ). .
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
The Rydges Auckland, one of 32 border hotels used to house returnees during controlled isolation.
On the campaign trail, Collins, who has been critical of Labor’s Covid-19 border control during the pandemic, seized the opportunity to attack his main electoral opponents.
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MBIE
An MBIE flow chart was provided to all returnees to determine if they are required to pay for their 14-day stay in controlled isolation and quarantine.
“Not cool, is it? And when you consider it’s about $ 500 million that has been spent or allocated through December, I thought it was pretty poor.
“There are a lot of explanations to do, but of course the minister in charge of that, I think is Megan Woods. I’m sure she will be able to respond, ”Collins said.
RICKY WILSON / Stuff
National leader Judith Collins says the Labor-led government has “many explanations to make” for the lack of MIQ payments.
However, Labor leader Jacinda Ardern did not accept that the charging system was not meeting its ultimate goal.
“Two points there. First of all, only those who come and go have to pay. Second, those who come for the death of a loved one or a funeral are also exempt.
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel left and Housing Minister Megan Woods on the campaign trail.
“Third, there is a long term for payment, so we have only, of course, incorporated the scheme. Some of those [people] they would have had to pay, they simply would not have had the payment within that pay period.
“So we expect those numbers to go up … the first group of people billed would not have had to pay yet,” Ardern said.
MIQ rates are $ 3,100 for the first person in each room, another $ 950 for each additional adult sharing the room, and $ 475 for each child ages 3-17.
Nearly 500 fee waiver requests have been approved since the collection regime began on August 10.
Woods reiterated that those who have been billed for their stays have 90 days to pay their bills.
“We haven’t reached 90 days, so I imagine people are waiting 90 days before paying their bills,” Woods said.
