Woman faces bankruptcy after racking up $58,000 worth of unpaid fines
A Queensland mother is facing bankruptcy after racking up $58,000 worth of unpaid toll fines.
The 41-year-old says she is in and out of hospital battling a serious condition and struggling to pay her medical bills.
Ipswich mother-of-three Kylie Jones is now being taken to court.
She is a busy woman who runs a small trucking company, and has kept on top of things until four years ago when doctors found tumours in her ovaries.
They weren’t cancerous, but still had to be removed.
“You go through such a roller coaster. You prepare yourself for so many things,” she said.
“My operation cost $15,000.”
With health her priority, Ms Jones struggled to pay bills, especially her truck tolls.
Since 2014 she has racked up a staggering $58,000 in unpaid tolls and late fees.
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“When I’m sick and I can’t afford to pay anything at the moment, it then adds. It just keeps adding,” she said.
In Queensland, if a toll fee isn’t paid after three days, a $8.36 fine is issued. After 14 days the fine is $23.89. If that isn’t paid, the state government will issue a $176 fine.
Transurban now wants to liquidate Ms Jones’ business.
“I will fight as much as I can, because I have my rights and I should be entitled to my rights,” she said.
Transurban said it had financial hardship initiatives in place for those who needed it and has already offered to reduce Kylie’s debt by around $8,000, but she never accepted.
Transurban also claims it does not profit from late fees and it is “working with governments to reduce fees for unpaid tolls”, but that plan is yet to be finalised.
