NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT PASSED BILL UNDER WHICH NON PAYMENT OF STUDENTS LOANS WILL BE TREATED AS CRIMINAL OFFENSE AND THOSE LIVING OVERSEAS CAN BE ARRESTED ON ARRIVAL IN NEW ZEALAND AS 80% OF LOANS ABOUT $ 543 MILLION DUES ARE DUE TO STUDENTS LIVING OVERSEAS Updated at 9:18 am on 7 March 2014 Legislation which will allow people to be arrested at the border if they refuse to pay back their student loan has passed its final hurdle in Parliament. The Student Loans Amendment Bill (No3) was passed by 61 votes to 59 on Thursday with the support of National, ACT and United Future. The bill also increases the repayment rate for those living overseas, and makes it a criminal offence for anyone living overseas who is behind on payments and knowingly fails or refuses to make a reasonable effort to pay their loan back. The Government says borrowers living overseas are responsible for 80 percent of overdue loan repayments, which now total about $543 million. Labour MP Grant Robertson said the legislation would will have little effect as police are not resourced to be sitting around at the airport looking for student loan defaulters. He said the message to graduates overseas will be dont bother coming home.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 03:12:58 +0000
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