That sounds so much better than how punitive U.S. companies are just getting the damn lights and water turned on to begin with. Not to mention charging fees for late payments, but if they overcharge you and draw too much on your account it’s “oh, we’ll just apply the credits to your account instead of refunding the money."
Like - motherfucker, I need that money to pay OTHER bills too!
In most countries, unpaid bills are a matter for the civil courts, not the criminal courts. The matter is between you and the creditor, not you and the government. Unpaid rent is certainly no reason to deport someone or bar them from entering the country. What does immigration law have to do with the electric bill? Have you people been in Taiwan too long to not recognize the absurdity of this guy’s situation? If the internet provider has a problem, they can report him to the credit bureau and ruin his credit rating in Taiwan. This is normally how things are done in normal countries. Involving the Immigration Department in all this makes as much sense as involving the fire department. Unless they have debtors’ prisons in Taiwan, how is this a criminal matter?
I think it becomes a criminal matter the same way it does in the uk, company takes you to court for none payment, court orders you to pay, you don’t pay, then your in breach the court order that can become a criminal act.
But normally what will happen in the UK, the company at some point will cut their losses and sell the debt to a third party collection agency. Who will balloon the debt with silly costs and interest, send bailiffs round, then take you to court if they get nowhere for an amount 100’s of % higher than what the debt initially was.
Nah, you can still not pay a CCJ and it remains a civil issue in the UK.
I think in the case of may friend he just ignored it, thats why it became a criminal matter I’m assuming its criminal as he was pick up by police and escorted to court. (none payment of council tax)
Non payment of tax , student loans and any government loans is a completely different matter. Credit cards, and loans with banks and financial institutions is a civil matter only unless in cases of fraud.
Council tax is still a civil debt in the uk, it’s classed as a priority debt as in that gets sorted out first before other debt like none payment of credit card.
Quickly looked into it (thank you google) the debt never becomes a criminal offence as @volv1992 says, it’s the act of ignoring the court order or court summons that becomes the criminal offence. Thats what the arrest warrant is issued for.
Oh that’s interesting. Surely non payment of tax is a criminal offense.? There are people in prison in the UK for non payment of TV licenses.
Agin a quick google says the debt itself stays civil its the none payment of the fine thats the criminal offence.
It’s still not a criminal offence. It’s civil. You can still be imprisoned for a civil offence, but it won’t appear on your criminal record for non-payment.
Actually getting that far and still not paying is difficult though, so usually there is a criminal offence such as fraud or tax evasion that is causing the non-payment. However if you literally do not have the means to pay but you have the intention, then it is civil and bankruptcy is your only saviour.
TLDR: UK can send you to prison for debt, but it’s not a crime.
They can charge you for contempt of court if the court orders you and you refuse to pay, but they would rather you just agree to one of the options of payment then it can all go away.
This is just focusing on wont pay which is different to cant pay.
Refusing to pay a court ordered fine can be treated as contempt of court punishable by up to 2 years in prison.
as per Google not studied law and I pay my bills so thats a far as I have looked into it
This I didn’t know, but according to Express solicitors uk, there is no prison involved for civil offences.
Breaking civil law
Civil cases usually involve compensation and won’t see anyone punished with a prison sentence.
but google says you can, one of them may be on drugs.
After all this fact finding, it appears that the uk does have a debtors prison, and that you can get locked up for none criminal offences. More than likely they will do you for contempt of court which can be a criminal act and they will drop the charges if you agree to pay (which is advisable to do in the first place).
I would assume Taiwan follows a similar path, but not being a judge, lawyer or debtor, I cant be sure.
