Who is reading your posts ?

I earn income outside of Australia which doesnt need to be declared inside Australia. The audit confirmed that (eventually).


Blacky, the AFP can access the travel records of everyone going back 10 years. They can go back longer if they submit a special request. AUSTRAC also have access to this info to track money laundering, crime and tax evasion. Both agency's share with the ATO. I'm not sure why an audit was needed to confirm you don't pay tax in Australia on income earned overseas? You're a non resident for tax purposes so any income you earn overseas, e.g.the rent from your condo in Manila, doesn't need to be declared in Oz. This has always been the case.

Jonesy, I use Tor because my job requires that I protect my communications, investigations, and intelligence gathering. We also request whistleblowers and activists use it to safely report on corruption, abuses and problems in danger zones.

https://www.torproject.org/about/overview.html.en

Yes the ATO can monitor sites like these but are unable to act against individuals because they don't who you are or where you live. I doubt Simon or other administrators have been asked by the ATO for someone's IP addrss and even if he has and gave it to them, the person could be using a proxy or VPN so they'd be untraceable.
 
Update

Just reading an update on a budget proposal. The Libs are progressing it...

Basically the Govt wants to create some standardised "reporting regimes" so that standard data is automatically fed and captured by Govt. Obvious users would be ATO, Centrelink and the states (ie stamp duty, land tax etc).

■sales of real property - information for each real property transaction: vendor and purchaser name; vendor and purchaser address; vendor and purchaser date of birth (for individuals); vendor and purchaser ABN or ACN (for entities); property details, including ID and address; property type (eg residential, commercial, new residence or vacant land); contract date; settlement date; and consideration and any other costs and charges. The reporting of property information would not necessarily be restricted to an annual report;
■sales of shares and units in unit trusts - To implement this proposal, the ATO would need to receive the following type of information in relation to each share transaction: shareholder's name, address and date of birth (if applicable); shareholder's TFN, ABN or ACN (if applicable); TFN withholding tax code; "non-resident indicator" in respect of the shareholder; company name and ASX code, and the CHESS and internal registry reason codes; shareholder's account holding number (Share Reference Number (SRN)/Holder Identification Number (HIN)) (if applicable); acquisition and disposal dates, prices and quantities; incidental costs (such as broker's fees); and any capital returns or payments and the associated dates;
 
Blacky, the AFP can access the travel records of everyone going back 10 years. They can go back longer if they submit a special request. AUSTRAC also have access to this info to track money laundering, crime and tax evasion. Both agency's share with the ATO. I'm not sure why an audit was needed to confirm you don't pay tax in Australia on income earned overseas? You're a non resident for tax purposes so any income you earn overseas, e.g.the rent from your condo in Manila, doesn't need to be declared in Oz. This has always been the case.

Dex - I have no issue with them having the records - I have nothing to hide - and I knew they had access to it.
What annoyed me was that they already had the info, but still insisted on making me dig it up. I cant remember where I was on Friday night, let alone 5 years ago. I have a lot of experiance with audits and auditors, so know how they work. The ATO presumed guilt, and then tried to slip me up. It was an ugly way to handle things.

I dont know why they needed an audit. Or why I was audited. If you ask the question, they simply throw back the section of the law which says they can audit whoever they like.

The govt changes to the foreign earning laws in 2009 is what screwed things up. They changed it from a simple calculable, black/white method (spend 183 days a year out of Australia, and dont pay tax on foreign income), to a system which is open to interpratation and ambiguaty. You can follow the laws, but it is still open to someone disagreeing with you.
I am not a resident of Australia (though remain a citizen). I dont have a house, car, family or personal assets in Australia. I do however, maintain bank accounts, investments and visit annually to see my parents/friends and take a break. The most time in any 12months I have spent in Australia is 82days. I have a pre-paid mobile number - but if this means Im a resident I am also a resident in Thailand, Russa, UK, Turkey, Egypt and Kazakhstan.
So - why was I audited? Because my bank transactions were in excess of my Australian declared income. Therefore I had to prove I was non-resident.

Like I say - if the ATO comes knocking - strap yourself in. You are in for a long rough ride. If you have done nothing wrong, hopefully they agree with you.

Blacky
 
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