Victorian woman jailed over $600k GST rort
Tahra Wyntjes invented a cleaning business to lodge dozens of fake business activity statements, a court has found.
A Victorian woman has been jailed after illegally obtaining almost $600,000 in GST refunds through BAS claims made using a fake cleaning company.
Tahra Wyntjes, 24, was found guilty by the County Court this week and sentenced to four years’ jail with a non-parole period of two years and four months.
The court found she obtained $599,349 in fraudulent GST refunds and attempted to obtain a further $259,976.
ATO acting deputy Commissioner Jade Hawkins said the decision served as a warning to those who deliberately tried to defraud the government for their own personal gain.
“Not only did this individual lodge fraudulent activity statements, but she also invented a fake business in order to claim GST refunds she was not entitled to,” she said.
“Our message remains clear. If you don’t run a business, you don’t need an ABN and you can’t claim GST refunds. This is fraud.”
The ATO officers began to investigate after Wyntjes lodged 27 BAS between November 2021 and March 2022.
When she failed to respond to the ATO’s inquiries, “it was concluded that she was not carrying on a genuine business and had submitted multiple false claims for GST”.
The matter was prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions following a referral from the ATO.
The court also granted a reparation order for Wyntjes to repay the stolen funds, which the ATO said would be “actively pursued”.
“GST fraud is not a victimless crime – those who steal funds from the community that would otherwise be used for essential services will face severe consequences including jail sentences for serious offenders,” Hawkins said.
It is the latest conviction for the ATO’s Operation Protego, a crackdown on widespread GST rorts promoted on social media launched in 2022.
The ATO estimated more than 57,000 people participated in the $2 billion scheme between April 2022 to June 2023, including a suspected 150 ATO employees.
According to latest figures, over $300 million in penalties and interest have been handed out.
The operation has resulted in 104 people arrested and 53 people convicted with a range of sentencing outcomes, including jail terms of up to seven years and six months and with orders made to restrain real property.
The ATO has also finalised 60 investigations and referred 51 briefs of evidence to Commonwealth prosecutors.
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