ATO cracks down on tax fraud
Over the 2011-12 financial year, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) successfully prosecuted 2000 individuals and companies for fraud, tax and superannuation offences.
According to the ATO, 39 people were prosecuted for tax-related offences while another 37 people were given custodial sentences, ranging from fully suspended to nine years imprisonment.
This included eight individuals who received custodial sentences under the cross-agency Project Wickenby taskforce.
There were also 1,447 individuals and 514 companies successfully prosecuted for taxation offences, such as failing to lodge returns and making false and misleading statements on tax returns.
"We compare tax records with more than 600 million transactions reported to us each year from financial institutions and other organisations, both in Australia and overseas, to gain a very detailed picture of people's financial dealings," ATO tax commissioner Michael D'Ascenzo said.
In one of a number of criminal fraud prosecutions that took place between 1 April and 30 June 2012, a Queensland woman was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment for attempted income fraud of nearly $73,000.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions found she had submitted false income tax returns for a number of prisoners who were serving time in a prison, falsely claiming that they were employed by a number of companies.
False tax refunds were then paid into a bank account controlled by the woman.
Other tax-related offences over the financial year included attempting to hide income and assets overseas, and individuals using stolen identities to submit false business activity statements.
"If you attempt to cheat the honest taxpayer community you will be found out and brought to justice", D'Ascenzo said.
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