The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) says that, during 2012, 4 unregistered tax agents were penalised by the Federal Courts for breaches of the Tax Agent Services Act 2009. The penalties totalled $174,500. Dale Boucher, Chair of the Board said, “We have ended 2012 by successfully bringing four unregistered tax agents to court. Our priority will always be to protect the community against unscrupulous unregistered tax agents who operate to the disadvantage of Australian taxpayers.”
The courts found all 4 were operating as unregistered tax agents. The breaches ranged from preparing income tax returns while charging people for this service, making requests for amendments to prior year’s returns for people, advertising their services and providing tax agent services while unregistered.
The TPB says it has recently developed a booklet “Summary of penalties, sanctions and terminations” featuring these unregistered agents along with a range of other TPB compliance case studies.
Source: TPB media release, 20 December 2012
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