ATO targeting private school parents

In the latest crackdown on tax evasion, the ATO is targeting parents suspected of paying their children’s private school fees from secret offshore bank accounts.

Following concerns that overseas accounts are being used to hide away secret funds, the tax office will be contacting more than 100 parents with private school fees of up to $100,000 per year paid from offshore accounts this week.

While there is nothing wrong with Australians having an offshore account, those individuals are still required to pay tax on the account’s interest or earnings. Suspected parents will be asked to provide documents and attend interviews to answer questions about their arrangements.