Only days after reports showed that one-third of all large companies pay no tax, the Auditor-General has released their audit into the Government’s so-called Tax Avoidance Taskforce.

The Tax Avoidance Taskforce was announced as a budget measure by then-Treasurer Scott Morrison in 2016, but according to the Auditor-General’s report:

• There is no actual Tax Avoidance Taskforce business unit within the Australian Tax Office.
• The lack of a consistent methodology means that the Auditor-General cannot confirm that resourcing was consistent with budget estimates.
• Funding provided through the Taskforce commitment may have been used to cover up cuts to baseline staff in affected areas.

The Government has established a taskforce that doesn’t exist to cover up real cuts to the Australian Tax Office.
 
This is despite finding $24 million to spend on an advertising campaign about tax integrity last year.
 
Scott Morrison needs to spend less time on ad campaigns and more time ensuring big companies pay their fair share of tax.

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2019