Tax, BAS fraudster sentenced to jail

Between 25 July 2007 and 13 November 2012, Kathleen Noble lodged 140 false Business Activity Statements (BAS) on behalf of eight related entities claiming GST refunds for purported business expenditure of over $9 million.

Ms Noble claimed a total of $957,710 in refunds, of which $394,550 in GST refunds were paid into bank accounts she controlled and were not recovered.

The remaining $563,160 in refunds were either credited to her ATO account, cancelled or recalled by the ATO.

Last Friday in Orange District Court, Ms Noble was sentenced to five years in jail, with 2.5 years to serve, and was given a reparation order for the sum of $394,550.

“Refund fraud cheats the whole community and disadvantages Australians who do the right thing,” ATO deputy commissioner Michael Cranston said.

“Given the extensive range of controls and systems in place to detect potential refund fraud, people should realise it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.”