Thursday, January 11, 2018

Tax evasion should be as stigmatized as drunk driving

What You Should Know About Taxation Of Cryptocurrencies




Treasury advice says Labor's negative gearing policy (Reader Friendly)



FOI reveals Treasury advised of negative gearing's 'small' impact on house prices (user unfriendly)





The New York Times has an interesting article on a Swiss bank enabler who helped U.S. taxpayers avoid/evade U.S. tax.  David Enrich, A Swiss Banker Helped Americans Dodge Taxes. Was It a Crime?(NYT 1/6/10), here.

The article opens:

Diane Butrus, a business executive from St. Louis, wandered the streets of Zurich, looking for a bank that would help her keep $1.5 million hidden from America tax collectors. 

One bank after another turned her down on that afternoon in 2009. They were worried about a United States crackdown on tax evasion and were no longer willing to shelter American money. 

Finally, across the street from a city park, up a discrete elevator, seated in a luxurious conference room, Ms. Butrus found a banker ready to help. His name was Stefan Buck.
Mr. Buck said that his employer, Bank Frey, would be happy to take Ms. Butrus’s money, according to court documents and interviews with Mr. Buck and Ms. Butrus. He instructed her to wire the $1.5 million to Bank Frey. He told her that her name wouldn’t be attached to the new account. It would be known internally as Cardinal, an alias she chose in a nod to her favorite baseball team.

Nearly 5000 public servants report seeing corruption: APS ...

Plutus-linked Rush Recruitment boss to face court grilling

Company documents show Synep's directors and shareholders are AdamCranston, the son of former deputy tax commissioner Michael Cranston, and Jay Onley. Federal Police arrested Mr Cranston and Mr Onley in May and charged them with conspiracy to defraud the commonwealth, an offence that ...

Accountants lament 2017 industry scandals

Bribery and corruption survey 2017 |  Deloitte Australia | Risk Advisory, Forensic, Investigations

Panama Papers and the mafia: how a corrupt empire can be built 

Whistle blower accuses tax authority of corruption 
Closing the Gap: The Case for a Commonwealth Anti-Corruption and Misconduct Commission Brian Toohey Australasian Study of Parlia - Australasian Study of Parliament Group

Tax administration: detecting corruption - OECD.org

E-assessment to curb tax officials corruption ? | Bhumesh Verma | Pulse | LinkedIn

Tax and customs authorities handle large sums of money and are responsible for collecting the principal revenue for the state. Corruption within these institutions is perceived to be common all over the world. Complex tax laws, high discretion of public officials and low cost of punishment create ideal conditions for corrupt behaviour to take place. Citizens and companies may bribe officials to evade taxes and duties. In turn, public officials in these institutions may seek to extract illicit rents from taxpayers, either by collusion or extortion. Effective monitoring and control of tax and customs authorities may significantly reduce the risks of corruption. This answer outlines the corruption challenges related to tax administration and customs authorities and highlights approaches to combat corruption in these institutions Literature Review of corruption in tax and customs authorities - Transparency International

A former Australian Tax Office (ATO) investigator has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for corruption. Philip Roper, 52, of Glen Waverley in Melbourne's eastern suburbs was convicted of theft, abuse of a public office and dishonesty charges for his corrupt relationships with dealers in the illicit tobacco trade, also known as "chop chop".
Between 2001 and 2003 the former Australian Federal Police officer turned ATO investigator would turn a blind eye to the activities of a number of chop chop dealers in return for money and the names of their competitors.
The Victorian County Court heard in December 2002 he organised a bogus raid on a dealer's home that netted 500 kilograms of tobacco leaf and tipped off another dealer about police raids Former ATO investigator jailed for corruption

Organised crime and public sector corruption - AC DC and TDs