Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. I remind the minister of media reports concerning payments to Mr Moses Obeid and other members of the Obeid family through various family trusts, nominally in the form of loans. Will the minister ask the Australian tax office to investigate such payments to determine if they were, in substance, distributions on which income tax should have been paid; if so, whether such tax was paid; and, if not, to recover such unpaid tax?

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I remind the member, as I have reminded members on previous occasions, that the Australian Taxation Office is an independent statutory body. It is independent because I think all members would consider that it is entirely appropriate that it conduct its inquiries, investigations and any enforcement activity at arms length from government. The ATO, of course, takes a very close interest in matters that are in the public domain. Indeed, matters that are raised in this place will be looked at very closely, and no doubt the ATO will undertake whatever investigations flow from that. It is not appropriate for me to enter into a commentary on individual matters. If we were to go down that path then there are a whole range of individuals that might be closely aligned to those on the other side of the parliament that we could equally draw attention to. That is a matter that the ATO will consider. If there is anything for them to investigate, they will do that. If those opposite want to suggest that the law be changed to give the minister the power to instruct the ATO to start to pry into the affairs of individuals then let them come forward and make such a suggestion.