Massive GST Fiddle Sends Melbourne Man To 5 Years In Jug
MELBOURNE: A 38-year-old fraud syndicate member who conspired to defraud the Commonwealth of more than $5 million through goods and services tax (GST) refunds, has been sentenced to five years jail, with a non-parole period of three years.
The verdict was rendered yesterday in Melbourne County Court.
The man – whose name had not been revealed as CDN went to press – was said to have been part of a scheme set up to illegally obtain “personal identifying information”.
This information was then used to create false entities and register them for GST.
Business activity statements (BAS) were then lodged to claim false GST refunds, which were directed to bank accounts that had been created using the stolen identities.
In total, the scheme aimed to defraud the Commonwealth of more than $5 million.
However it seems the Government became aware of the scheme and the Federal Police were called in.