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Taxation Law FAQ - I Am An Extremely Wealthy Man; Can I Follow The Robert Gerard Example?

Date: July 14, 2011

Q.  I am an extremely wealthy man and I have been advised to follow the Robert Gerard example which would be a good outcome for everybody, wouldn't it?

A.  No.  The taxation paradigm has changed forever.  Whatever used to be the case will now no longer be tolerated.  Tax is all about paying your primary tax on time all the time and if you don't not only will you have to pay this you will have to also pay penalties and interest.  Anybody who engages in any form of activity which is calculated to deceive the revenue authorities is on a collision course.  Put simply, if you are aware that you have been tax non-compliant for a number of years and you have not yet come to the attention of the ATO or any other taxation authority eg. OSR, then you immediately need to seek advice from a taxation lawyer.  One thing which can be but is not often done is to make a voluntary disclosure and where this occurs chances are that when the matter is referred you may be given a positive referral which means that there may be no criminal prosecution which follows.  This is a complicated area and one where a high level of expertise is required in order to achieve the best possible outcome in the circumstances.   There are very few taxation experts in this country who really understand what is required to be done in this area.  Although some understand the process they do not understand how to achieve the best for their clients as they have rarely represented them since the change in the taxation paradigm in late 2005.

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