The ATO is actively using departure prohibition orders (‘DPOs’) as part of a broader shift towards strengthening payment performance and debt collection.  A DPO is an enforcement action available to the ATO to prevent certain persons with tax liabilities from leaving Australia without paying their outstanding tax.

Since July 2025, the ATO has issued 21 DPOs, more than the total number issued in the entire financial year ended 30 June 2025.

The ATO notes that a taxpayer was recently prevented from boarding a flight in the early hours of the morning due to a DPO imposed because of deliberate non-payment of a significant debt.