Tax dodgers warned they risk an "audit" more than ever as ATO ramps up scrutiny

The Australian Taxation Office has ramped up its warnings about much-feared "audits" and big potential fines for any taxpayer who knowingly lodges dodgy claims. 

READ the story here 

The ATO says it will be scrutinising every tax return lodged for the past financial year deploying updated hi-tech cross checking systems to weed out inaccurate or outright fraudulent deductions. 

Assistant Tax Commissioner Karen Foat tells ABC's Peter Ryan some tax evaders even create elaborate web sites to create fake work records and receipts.

Assistant ATO commissioner Karen Foat (source: supplied)

But taxpayers who've experienced a much-feared audit have another side to the story.

Those who contacted the ABC after this morning's story are less than glowing about the ATO's tactics:


"More evidence of going after soft targets, the little guy, to distract us from the real tax evaders - big business. Old fat white men want to maintain the status quo at all costs." 

"The government pressures the ATO to make noises that they are clamping down on tax evasion. The figures quoted of savings made and unpaid tax that could have been paying for public infrastructure is small bikkies compared to what the big corporations are avoiding." 

"Tell her (Karen Foat)  to focus on all those dodgy tradies doing jobs for cash and SMEs "running expenses through the business"