Yesterday
Audits reap nearly $8b for the Tax Office
Workers paid a total of about $730 billion in income tax last financial year and got $154 billion back in refunds, new data from the ATO shows.
- Tom McIlroy
This Month
- Exclusive
- Big four accountants
Big four ex-partner claims colleagues helped in tax exploitation scheme
The former partner, whose name is being suppressed along with that of the firm, hopes to file a limited defence to avoid incriminating himself.
- Max Mason and Neil Chenoweth
Developers face uncertainty on thin capitalisation rules
The federal government’s proposed laws to crack down on excessive tax deductions are not fit for purpose, industry figures and independent MPs warn.
- Michael Bleby
- Exclusive
- Consulting
Big four partner alleged to have promoted tax exploitation scheme
A former partner at a major accounting firm is facing significant fines for allegedly promoting tax avoidance schemes to seven clients.
- Max Mason and Neil Chenoweth
- Opinion
- PwC tax scandal
PwC chiefs play pass the parcel
Kevin Burrowes, the new chief executive PwC Australia sent in to fix the firm’s tax leak scandal, has a terminal case of resting bulldog face.
- Neil Chenoweth
Labor pushes ahead with $3m superannuation tax
The government will release draft legislation today on its plan to crack down on tax concessions for big balance accounts.
- Hannah Wootton
September
Tax promoter penalties take aim at big four partners
Tax promoter penalties will be less than the $780 million previously flagged, but partners could still face nine-figure payouts.
- Neil Chenoweth
Government reveals details of tax sector crackdown after scandal
The Albanese government is moving quickly on penalties and secrecy laws in response to the big four firm’s confidentiality breaches, but is taking it slow on reviews for legal privilege and tax office powers.
- Neil Chenoweth
Accountant caught backdating documents in $20m tax fraud
The Federal Court has rejected Gerry Incollingo’s appeal against his six-month suspension by the Tax Practitioners Board.
- Neil Chenoweth
- Exclusive
- Tobacco
Billions in taxes being lost as illegal tobacco booms
Australian Border Force has confiscated just under a billion illegal cigarettes worth nearly $1.1 billion in forgone tax over the past two years.
- Ronald Mizen
August
Taxman’s son sentenced to 15 years for Plutus fraud
The architect of the $106 million Plutus payroll scam used his knowledge of how ATO operates to evade detection, a judge has found.
- Neil Chenoweth
How a $4.6b fraud wave unfolded, and nine other great reads for the weekend
Welcome to the weekend. To start off your day, we’ve curated 10 great reads to enjoy.
- Exclusive
- TikTok
Unpaid GST surge has helped blow a $50b hole in revenue
A near three-fold explosion in GST debt in the past six years is fuelling a surge in unpaid taxes.
- Neil Chenoweth and Max Mason
Criminals using dark web ‘kits’ for tax fraud
Amid surging digital GST fraud, the tax office is struggling to quickly refund legitimate businesses while cracking down on dark web tax fraud.
- Tom Burton
Gone in 120 seconds: how a $4.6b fraud wave unfolded
The 56,000 people in the GST fraud promoted on TikTok had to fill in only three numbers. The consequences could last for life.
- Neil Chenoweth and Max Mason
How the TikTok tax fraud overran a country town
At least 56,000 people are facing compliance action for a billion-dollar GST tax fraud spread by social media influencers.
- Neil Chenoweth and Max Mason
‘Stupid and greedy’: Adam Cranston pocketed $6.9m in Plutus tax fraud
Adam Cranston, son of the former deputy tax commissioner, has claimed he was not the chief architect of one of the country’s biggest tax frauds.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Exclusive
- TikTok
‘Gobsmacked’: How identity theft led to Protego fraud
Will’s MyGov account was hijacked – he only found out when they took his income tax refund.
- Neil Chenoweth
- Exclusive
- Tax disputes
‘Absolutely rampant’: How the ATO missed a $4.6b crime wave
Influencers on TikTok are being blamed for an explosion of fraudulent GST claims that banks and accountants say went unchallenged for years.
- Neil Chenoweth
- Exclusive
- GST
TikTok GST fraud hit on Tax Office blows out to $4.6b
Banks had been warning since 2020 of a GST scam, which became the largest tax fraud in Australian history after it was promoted on the social media platform.
- Neil Chenoweth
