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A Sydney BAS agent who lodged 130 fraudulent income tax returns to pocket almost $180,000 has now been sentenced to jail.
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Former BAS agent sees jail time over $180k fraud
04 September 2020
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Hussain Nazeer was today sentenced in the Sydney District Court to 20 months of jail time after pleading guilty to dishonestly causing a loss to the Commonwealth of nearly $180,000 by lodging false income tax returns and amendments without his clients’ knowledge.
The Mount Druitt BAS agent, whose registration was terminated by the Tax Practitioners Board in 2016, has also been ordered to pay $179,826 in reparation.
Despite his clients providing honest information about their income and deductions, Mr Nazeer submitted different information, lodging 22 fraudulent income tax returns for 14 of his clients between 2010 and 2013, resulting in $23,000 worth of refunds that he kept for himself.
He also lodged 108 false tax return amendments on behalf of 37 taxpayers without their knowledge.
His false claims, which mostly related to car and medical expenses, resulted in an extra $156,000 in refunds that went straight to his bank account.
ATO assistant commissioner Adam Kendrick welcomed the sentence and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to identifying and addressing agents of concern.
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“Tax and BAS agents play a vital role in contributing to and protecting the integrity of the Australian tax and super systems. The majority of registered agents do the right thing, but unfortunately, there are some agents who take advantage of their trusted position for financial benefit,” Mr Kendrick said.
“As demonstrated in today’s case, even registered tax professionals can be dishonest and take advantage of their clients. That is why it’s important for the ATO to maintain the integrity of the tax profession and weed out those who try to undermine their trusted position.
“Mr Nazeer’s actions showed a complete disregard for not only the law, but also his clients’ trust by lodging fraudulent tax returns and amendments in their names.”
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