Big business tax cheats

Big business and the rich are cheating on their tax – or so Australian taxpayers think. And the Australian Taxation Office is not doing enough about it.

This was the findings of a report from the ATO which included interviews with 2000 taxpayers and focus groups.

The survey found that the tax office attack on offshore tax rorts with Project Wickenby has not registered with many Australians and had not generated the positive perception that the tax office had hoped.

The report recommends that targeting tax havens may be effective in reversing the negative perceptions about the ATO.

But it also recommends that the tax office should address the perception that big business gets away with not paying the correct amount of tax with more PR campaigns.