Sunny Garcia Faces Likely Gaol Sentence for Tax Evasion

[SAsurfers]

how can you forget to declare overseas earnings of over $400000? you don't, not even $400. forgetting has nothing to do with it. seriously,we're not talking about a bit of cash for labouring now and then here. it's just those that think they're above the rest of us that do and they do end up getting caught. "He acknowledges that he made very serious mistakes". sure did.

Toatally agree and couldnt say it better myself

[Shaunm]

If it was here he'd have to pay it back plus a huge fine, no prison for that amount usually.......reading this thread couldn't help thinking of Point Break's closing scene

[Grant Moss]

Page 12 of todays Financial Review.

Mick Gatto (Melborne underworld figure) after investigation by the Australian Crime commission, $1 million in tax liabilities were setled with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for $200,000.

Which of you said crime doesn't pay?

[streetdaddy]

I was reading a Waves mag out of desperation on a flight the other day. There was a bit about Nev Hyman's daughter in there (i'm fighting the urge to say something negative) and she was saying she stays with Sunny when she's on the rock and he lends her his Hummer... HUMMER! Say goodbye to your Hummer...

[Karlos]

I don't like the direction this thread is taking.

I once travelled with a white, anglo saxon guy, who sold dope to fund his adventurers and his mum collected his dole for him - and she was an anglo, too!

Once I even heard of some girls(!!) on the dole and surfing at Byron - yep you guessed it - whities also.

There, that's better.

Living in Byron AND collecting the dole? That can't possibly be going on up there!!!

[Mr_momo_32]

My Dad would do that every year if mum wasn't keeping a close eye on him.

haha thats gold!

[chrisb]

Page 12 of todays Financial Review.

Mick Gatto (Melborne underworld figure) after investigation by the Australian Crime commission, $1 million in tax liabilities were setled with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for $200,000.

Which of you said crime doesn't pay?

The ATO will generally do a cost/benefit analysis before deciding to prosecute. If the chance of a conviction is low it will sometimes settle for a lesser amount rather than risk a loss in the courts.

Bear in mind that the $1m unpaid tax is only the ATO's opinion of what's owed. Another competent accountant analysing legislation and case law may come to a completely different opinion as to what's owed.

As for the moral issue: Someone once said that "taxes are the price we pay for a civilised society".
In Greece where tax evasion is worse than here, publicly-funded amenities such as roads are in a shocking state (much worse than NSW).

As for Sunny, confiscating assets and public shaming may be more appropriate than jail time which in itself costs the public money. Then again the guy gets in a few fist fights so may have prior convictions.

[patske]

Then again the guy gets in a few fist fights so may have prior convictions.

It's club fed not a real Penitentiary. Moreso a jail for those white collar crime offenders... The Enron types and the like. I'm sure he'll be the meanest guy of the bunch in there anyway haha.

[Nick Carroll]

As for Sunny, confiscating assets and public shaming may be more appropriate than jail time which in itself costs the public money. Then again the guy gets in a few fist fights so may have prior convictions.

Well according to Sunny, during the course of this almost endless investigation he well and truly got the sh*ts with the IRS agent in charge and was a bit err, rude to him, in Sunny's inimitable style. From that point on he reckons it got all personal, and even when he tried eventually to settle payment terms on the whole amount, the agent just stonewalled him and insisted on clink time.

Me I would rather like to have the $400,000, I'll pay tax on that anytime

Speaking personally I think tax is to be expected but boy would it not be a good thing if there were an impartial disciplining force upon the absolute F**wits who spend it. And don't talk to me about elections. It's what happens between elections that gets my goat.

[Nick Carroll]

As for Sunny, confiscating assets and public shaming may be more appropriate than jail time which in itself costs the public money. Then again the guy gets in a few fist fights so may have prior convictions.

Well according to Sunny, during the course of this almost endless investigation he well and truly got the sh*ts with the IRS agent in charge and was a bit err, rude to him, in Sunny's inimitable style. From that point on he reckons it got all personal, and even when he tried eventually to settle payment terms on the whole amount, the agent just stonewalled him and insisted on clink time.

Me I would rather like to have the $400,000, I'll pay tax on that anytime

Speaking personally I think tax is to be expected but boy would it not be a good thing if there were an impartial disciplining force upon the absolute F**wits who spend it. And don't talk to me about elections. It's what happens between elections that gets my goat.

[Zaffa]

Geez guys I think poor old Sunny should be applauded for at least trying to evade taxes. Only thing he did wrong was get caught. I am pretty heartily sick of tax - I wouldn't mind paying it if I didn't constantly hear of how governments waste money.
The only wrong thing about tax evasion is that usually the rich do it - I support a more equal opportunity tax evasion

[Luke]

it's hard to pay for something when your not immediately aware of the return. Look around. weve got one of the highest standards of living, great public health system, legal aid, generous social services, clean water, streets, air and a pretty decent police force to name some. Someones gtta pay for it. You really notice it when you go to places where none of that stuff is paid for by taxes. eg indo, sth america

Spot on.

[Zaffa]

Well there are quite a few economic arguments against taxation. Quite a few countries that have very low or no personal tax are in fact extremely wealthy. Of course the opposite can be said of Scandanavian countries which have very high tax but a high living standard too.

If you want to compare Australia with other countries.... well sure its got great infrastructure... but we live in an incredibly regulated society. You can hardly wipe your @ss without applying for approval. And massive amounts of tax go into supporting the huge amounts of red tape an beauracracy. I do not see why I, as a law abiding person, have to support this interfering system

[patske]

tax discussion on a surf forum.. lol
Love it.

[Hawkeye]

If you want to compare Australia with other countries.... well sure its got great infrastructure... but we live in an incredibly regulated society. You can hardly wipe your @ss without applying for approval. And massive amounts of tax go into supporting the huge amounts of red tape an beauracracy. I do not see why I, as a law abiding person, have to support this interfering system

Well what would all those high paid state-level public servants do unless we paid taxes? They'd have to go and be productive members of society instead of chewing up all that GST money on their empires that should have been spent on education and infrastructure.

We couldn't have that now, could we?

[harveybirdman]

Well there are quite a few economic arguments against taxation. Quite a few countries that have very low or no personal tax are in fact extremely wealthy. Of course the opposite can be said of Scandanavian countries which have very high tax but a high living standard too.

If you want to compare Australia with other countries.... well sure its got great infrastructure... but we live in an incredibly regulated society. You can hardly wipe your @ss without applying for approval. And massive amounts of tax go into supporting the huge amounts of red tape an beauracracy. I do not see why I, as a law abiding person, have to support this interfering system

If you want the practical reason why you have to support that inteference, it's the fact that the goverment has a monopoly on force in Australia, so you have no choice. Philosophically speaking, you have to support it because of the "social contract" you sign by becoming a citizen of Australia. In return for certain things such as a police force, healthcare system, public highways and so on - you have to pay a certain amount of your money towards these things.

It's a tyranny of the majority thing, most people want it that way so that's the way it is. Libertarians would argue that people should not be forced into spending their money on something against their will and that the "free market" would provide the same services more efficiently - without the need for taxes and beauracracy - but unfortunatley for them, not many people agree.

[Zaffa]

Dino,

Didn't say there should be no tax - as you know taxation comes in many varied and cruel forms, business, income, sales, capital gains and a vast many other methods that the government has of raising cash. Governments also raise cash in other ways like selling bonds etc.

My argument was against personal income tax, and my main grudge is the wasteful, interfering use to which it is put.

Harvey,
Absolutely agree with you that if you want to live here you need to agree to abide by the laws etc. But I still have the opinion that Australia is an over-regulated place. Of course I am more than willing to live with that because I really like it here.

(you may have guessed I am not from here)

Also I don't know if people really do want to live in such a regulated society - You can have law and order without the government specifying every little detail of how you conduct your life

[thermalben]

But I still have the opinion that Australia is an over-regulated place.

To put things into perspective, can you provide an example of a more desireable country that is 'adequately' regulated? I can't tell whether your preferred option is somewhere else (ie, a country where Australia can take a lead from), or whether it's a utopian fantasy.