Tax agent slammed with 5-year ban for swindling government
A tax agent has been banned by the Tax Practitioners Board for a maximum five-year period for defrauding government systems.
Tax agent Raheel Chaudhry has been banned by the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) as part of its role in the Fraud Fusion Taskforce (FFT) and its commitment to actively disrupting non-compliant tax practitioners.
Chaudhry was banned for a maximum five-year period after being found to have misled the TPB and having failed to comply with his own tax obligations.
The investigation into Chaudhry’s fraud also found his tax debt and penalties amounted to almost $1.5 million.
TPB chair Peter de Cure said Chaudhry’s actions undermined the integrity of the profession.
“Tax agents hold a trusted professional position and are expected to act with the utmost honesty and integrity,” he said.
“Mr Chaudhry has undermined the integrity of the tax system as well as public confidence in the registered tax practitioner profession, the majority of whom do the right thing.”
In the decision to ban Chaudhry’s registration for a five-year period, the TPB also made the decision to give due consideration to the evidence that led the National Disability Insurance Scheme Commission to ban him from delivering NDIS services for five years.
De Cure said the TPB would continue to regulate tax practitioners to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of the profession and the tax system.
“This case shows the benefits of government agencies working across the system to stamp out illegal behaviour. We will continue to work with our FFT partners to swiftly remove any tax practitioners who engage in such behaviours in the interests of improving the integrity of government systems” he said.
“The TPB aims to assure the community that tax practitioners meet appropriate standards of professional and ethical conduct.”
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