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Category: Regulation / Food and Beverage / Law, Crime and Justice / Retail / Activism and Lobbying

Fines of more than $400k in unpaid liquor licence renewals in Queensland a 'revenue grab'

Thursday, 10 Mar 2016 10:18:54 | Josh Bavas

Action was taken against 238 licensees who sold alcohol while suspended. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore - file photo)

Restaurant and Catering Australia (RCA) has accused Queensland's liquor regulators of a revenue grab, after almost $410,000 in fines was collected for unpaid licence renewals.

More than 25 per cent of licensees across Queensland — which includes restaurants, bars and pubs — missed the deadline, with some claiming they had not received their renewal notices.

The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) said enforcement action was taken against 238 licensees who sold alcohol while suspended, and 174 of those were hit with fees of $2,356 each.

It said it issued a mail-out two months before the due date, although some letters were returned due to outdated postal addresses.

But RCA chief executive John Hart described it as a communication bungle at the least.

"They have to start with engaging with organisations like our own, that are tasked with helping business to comply," he said.

"We could have made telephone calls to all these businesses to pay on time and that wasn't done - there was no cooperation.

"It was pretty clear that all they wanted to do was raise the $400,000."

Mr Hart said most paid licensees had their registration when they were called three days after the due date, yet they were still hit with large fines.

"There's no doubt that this was a revenue grab," he said.

"Simply the fact that there were no steps taken to work with the businesses to get them to comply and then the fact that they were then trapped with the situation where they were fined a couple of days after the payment was due."

In a statement, an OLGR spokesman said the unlicensed sale of alcohol was a serious matter and the office would continue to take action to those who failed to meet regulation.

The level of non-payment rose slightly from 24 per cent in 2014-15 to 26 per cent in 2015-16.

AustraliaPlus


 

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