Project Wickenby: Five Years Later

On the 5th anniversary of the now famous Project Wickenby, the ATO is taking the opportunity to remind taxpayers with taxable income hidden offshore that Wickenby is still around and might just be coming to bite them sometime soon…

Project Wickenby, triggered all those years ago by the contents of a laptop seized in a raid in a Melbourne hotel room, is evidence of the increased legal firepower that now lies in the hands of Australian federal investigators uncovering tax fraud. Wickenby (for those who have been under a rock for the past 5 years) is a large-scale joint investigation co-ordinated by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) into tax fraud and money-laundering by individuals using offshore tax havens.

“Wickenby is dealing with serious and deliberate tax evasion using offshore secrecy havens,” Tax Commissioner Michael D’Ascenzo said. “The aim of the project was not just about getting return on investment, although we’ve achieved some good results. Wickenby is about protecting honest taxpayers and holding those to account who engage in this sort of illegal behaviour.”

“We aim to stop the promotion of abusive offshore tax schemes and deter taxpayers from entering them. As the courts have said, the effect of dishonesty and non-disclosure of income increases the burden on all other taxpayers – it is theft.”

Five years on, the Project Wickenby taskforce is well-established, and producing results: more than $850 million in tax liabilities raised, 57 people charged with serious offences, more than 1,400 audits and reviews completed, nearly 600 audits currently in progress, and 24 criminal investigations underway.