The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) as an active participant in the Fraud Fusion Taskforce (FFT) has intensified its efforts to remove tax practitioners engaged in misconduct. In a recent case, Bankstown tax agent, Mr Kahtan Al Hassan has been deregistered and banned from reapplying for the maximum 5-year period for his unethical conduct in both the tax and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) systems. Tabark Pty Ltd (Tabark), of which Mr Al Hassan is the sole director, has also been deregistered for 5 years.
The TPB is committed to working across government to promote the integrity of the tax profession, strengthen tax practitioner services and protect government funding allocated to Australians.
The TPB found Mr Al Hassan breached the Code of Professional Conduct and was no longer a fit and proper person to be registered based on several dishonest actions, including failing to:
- correctly prepare and lodge business activity statements for Tabark, reporting false GST figures in circumstances where the company was not carrying on a business
- notify the TPB he was permanently banned by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission from being involved in the provision of NDIS supports and services, including in a consultancy capacity
- lodge several income tax returns and pay debts on time for himself and his related entities
- notify the TPB that Tabark had entered into external administration.
The TPB also found Mr Al Hassan had failed to complete the TPB’s minimum level of required relevant continuing professional education and failed to maintain appropriate professional indemnity insurance.
Speaking about the case, TPB Chair, Peter de Cure AM, said ‘Mr Al Hassan’s serious misconduct undermined the integrity of both the tax system and the NDIS framework. He was a person engaged by a NDIS registered provider and has defrauded the system. This is not a person the TPB, the Australian Taxation Office or the Australian public can trust to perform his role as a registered tax agent with integrity. We will continue to work with our National Disability Insurance Agency colleagues to stop those exploiting the system, ensuring NDIS funding goes directly to participants who need disability-related support and services.’
He added, ‘Tax practitioners associated with fraudulent schemes will be exposed. The TPB collaborates with many government agencies to analyse information and intelligence to uncover this sort of fraudulent behaviour. We will remove unethical actors from the tax profession as quickly as possible in order to level the playing field for all tax practitioners, protect the public and build confidence and trust in the tax profession and system.’
About the Tax Practitioners Board
The TPB regulates tax practitioners in order to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of the profession and the tax system. The TPB aims to assure the community that tax practitioners meet appropriate standards of professional and ethical conduct. Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
About the Fraud Fusion Taskforce
The Fraud Fusion Taskforce, established in November 2022, is a multi-agency partnership working to disrupt fraud and criminal activity, targeting government payment programs. The Taskforce involves 23 government agencies working together, including the National Disability Insurance Agency, Services Australia, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Federal Police and Australian Tax Office.