House debates
Thursday, 25 May 2006
Questions without Notice
Taxation
3:12 pm
Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
They call that a ‘wet lettuce’, Mr Speaker. I have another question for the Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer. Is the Assistant Treasurer aware that AWB Executive Chairman Brendan Stewart claims to have legal advice that AWB will not suffer a tax penalty, even though it claimed a tax deduction for its $300 million bribe to Saddam Hussein’s regime? Is the Assistant Treasurer happy with this outcome or will he now join Labor’s plan to crack down on this outrageous tax rort?
David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Part of that question did ask for an opinion, but the rest of it stands.
Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank the honourable member for his question. People’s personal arrangements or company arrangements with regard to their tax matters are entirely a matter for the Commissioner of Taxation. This parliament operates independently. The Commissioner of Taxation runs the Australian Taxation Office, which is an independent statutory authority. They will make investigations and, if people have acted outside of the law, then those people will incur the penalties that are provided for in the legislation. The laws in this country are very clear in relation to prohibiting such payments that are made to bribes. This is a very deceptive question by the member opposite, and I would say—
Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
that what needs to be respected in this process is that the matter is before the Commissioner for Taxation at the moment. The way in which he deals with it, the penalties which he may apply, are entirely a matter for him.