Bundaberg is among the top regional towns for tip-offs to the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
Since July 2019 the ATO has received 250,000 complaints about tax avoidance and other dishonest behaviours and more than 47,000 were received in the past financial year.
Assistant Commissioner Tony Goding says Australians are fed up with dodgy behaviours in the community and are stepping up to help level the playing field by tipping off the ATO about taxpayers not declaring income, demanding cash from customers, paying workers in cash to avoid paying tax and super, not reporting sales, and where someone’s lifestyle doesn’t appear to match their income.
“It’s not just about ‘cash only’ or ‘EFTPOS out of order’ signs,” he says.
“The ATO estimates there is around $16 billion in stolen taxes because of businesses doing things like cash jobs each year.
“These businesses are deliberately undercutting their competitors and gaining an unfair advantage in their industry. People who cheat their competitors and the community will likely try to cheat their customers too.”
Building and construction, cafes and restaurants and hairdressing and beauty services topped the list of industries the ATO was tipped off about in 2023–24.
Sydney and Melbourne had the most tip-offs, but reports are not only coming from capital cities. The top 5 regional post codes for tip-offs were all from Queensland:
- 4215 – Southport
- 4670 – Bundaberg
- 4350 – Toowoomba
- 4740 – Mackay
- 4510 – Caboolture.
“Community tip-offs are one of our best sources of information when it comes to tackling the shadow economy,” Mr Goding says.
“When we receive information through a tip-off, we cross check the information and assess whether further action is required.”
Approximately 90% of tip-offs analysed by the ATO in 2023–24 were deemed as being suitable for further investigation.
This investigation is then carried out by specialised teams and taskforces within the ATO, including the cross-agency Shadow Economy Taskforce.
