The Tax Practitioners Board has terminated the tax agent registrations of Wollongong tax agent, DW and AR McNeice, and its supervising tax agent and partner, David Warren McNeice, for overclaiming expenses on behalf of their clients.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said it identified McNeice’s behaviour through their compliance activities and conveyed its concerns to the TPB for further action.
The TPB found the partnership breached the Code of Professional Conduct by failing to provide tax agent services competently, including showing intentional disregard to taxation laws and advice by the ATO and repeatedly making claims for his clients without substantiation or merit.
TPB chief executive officer, Michael O’Neill, said McNeice’s conduct did not accord with the TPB’s view of what constituted a fit and proper person, and McNeice was prohibited from reapplying for registration for five years.
“Tax practitioners must undertake their role truthfully, accurately and competently to uphold the integrity of the profession and what is ultimately best for taxpayers and the overall integrity of the tax and super systems,” O’Neill said.
