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Tax agent claimed almost $800,000 through fraudulent returns using clients’ names.
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Sydney accountant sentenced to six years’ jail
07 October 2022
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A former tax agent and Sydney accountant Peter Lines has been sentenced to six years in jail following his hearing at the Downing Centre District Court.
Mr Lines was found to have obtained more than $600,000 in fraudulent refunds and attempted to obtain an additional $180,000 on top of it.
ATO Assistant Commissioner Jade Hawkins said she was pleased with the court’s decision after Mr Lines was found to have abused his position as a tax agent.
“Mr Lines breached his position of trust,” said Ms Hawkins.
“As a registered tax agent of more than 30 years, he had a strong client base, many of whom had trusted him with their tax affairs for decades.”
The ATO said that Mr Lines submitted several false tax returns in his clients’ names without their knowledge between December 2014 and January 2018.
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He was also found to have submitted multiple valid tax returns for his clients but deposited the refunds into bank accounts he controlled.
The six-year jail sentence comes with a non-parole period of three years and six months, while the court also ordered Mr Lines to repay the $612,648 he gained through the scam.
The ATO said that he also tried to conceal his wrongdoing by creating a fictitious notice of assessment in an attempt to mislead clients, and was only found out when colleagues from his firm detected the abnormal transactions and notified the ATO and the TPB.
The ATO said the outcome was a positive one and that it would continue in its role alongside the TPB to protect the community as well as the integrity of Australia’s tax and super system.
“As part of the ATO’s response to the shadow economy, we support tax professionals — and the broader integrity of the profession — by taking appropriate action against the small number of people who do the wrong thing,” said Ms Hawkins.
“Tax professionals play an integral role in supporting the tax and super systems for all Australians. To the small number of tax professionals who don’t follow the rules, know that we will take action against you.
“We have systems in place to detect fraud but reporting anything you come across can help us stop it before it happens.”
To anonymously report tax evasion or crime activities you can either fill in a tip-off form on the ATO’s website or call 1800 060 062.
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