Arrests made after $2m Tablelands tax fraud

Police raids relating to $2m worth of tax fraud have led to 18 people being arrested in Mareeba, Atherton and other North Queensland regions.

Investigations into alleged “large-scale deceptions against government agencies and financial institutions”, including the Australian Taxation Office, have been ongoing since 2022, culminating in yesterday’s arrests.

Following a joint investigation with the ATO, police allege there has been “widespread GST fraud where offenders invented fake businesses and submitted fictitious Business Activity Statements in an attempt to gain a false GST refund”.

Those arrested included a 40-year-old Mareeba woman, a 47-year-old Mareeba man, a 41-year-old Atherton man, six Atherton women aged between 28 and 54, two Tolga women aged 37 and 49, a 47-year-old Wongabel woman, a 27-year-old Tarzali man, a 49-year-old Kairi woman, a 33-year-old Herberton man, a 48-year-old Normanton man, a 50-year-old Elimbah man, and a 54-year-old Mackay woman.

The charges include obtaining financial advantage by deception and attempting to obtain financial advantage by deception, while a 34-year-old Atherton woman was charged with dealing in proceeds of crime worth $100,000 or more.