Who investigates and prosecutes tax crimes in Australia?
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) deals with tax evasion and fraud, taking action against those who engage in tax crime.
The ATO works together with various partner agencies, including the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce, to identify people who deliberately break the law to either:
- Avoid paying the right amount of tax
- Claim refunds or other payments they are not entitled to
What are some recent examples of Australian tax crime investigations?
On its website, the ATO provides a summary of the results of serious tax crime investigations from January to June 2018.
| Result | Details | State |
|---|---|---|
| 18 months and 9 months jail (two charges) | DERBASI, a 27-year-old man from Annandale in New South Wales, was the sole director, secretary and shareholder of Mediterranean Resource Expeditions. He was found guilty on two charges of lodging false business activity statements (BAS). | NSW |
| 7.5 years jail - non-parole period of 3 years | YARLAGADDA, a 28-year-old woman from East Brisbane in Queensland, was found guilty on eight charges. YARLAGADDA lodged false BAS to obtain refunds she was not entitled to and was also on Commonwealth charges for identity theft. It was noted the offending was sophisticated and deliberate and was conducted over a long period of time. | QLD |
| 12 months jail - release on good behaviour bond for 12 months | TER HORST, a 52-year-old man from Nairne in South Australia, operated a Jims Computer franchise business and was found guilty of 12 charges for submitting false BAS and obtaining refunds he was not entitled to. A reparation order of $34,249 was issued by the court. | SA |
| 5 years jail - non-parole period of 3 years | HOGG, a 57-year-old tax agent from Mentone in Victoria, was found guilty on three charges of offering his clients 'options' for tax planning and lodging false returns. Hogg not only defrauded the Commonwealth but also his clients. The court made compensation orders to his clients. | VIC |
| 3 months jail - 2 year good behaviour bond | A 59-year-old man from Tasmania lodged a false BAS and obtained GST credits to which he was not entitled. He was found guilty and sentenced in December 2017 to three month's jail and released immediately on a two year good behaviour bond with a recognisance of $2,000. | TAS |
| 60 months jail - non-parole period of 27 months | A 60-year-old man from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia was found guilty of 25 counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage from the Commonwealth of Australia by lodging BAS for his cleaning company partnership, which contained false information. | WA |
