Paul Hogan’s bitter and long-running battle with the Australian Taxation Office has taken another turn, with the ATO hitting the Crocodile Dundee star with an order not to leave the country until he pays or settles a multi-million tax debt.
Hogan was served with the Departure Prohibition Order on Friday night, after the 70 year-old star jetted into Australia to attend his mother’s funeral.
The ATO and Hogan are currently in dispute over a tax bill that has been reported to be $37.6 million.
In a statement issued by his lawyer (which can be seen in full here) Hogan said he was “stunned and disappointment” that he was now considered a flight risk.
“Paul continues to vehemently deny any wrongdoing. Following five years of intrusive investigations by the ACCC and ATO, no charges have been laid,” Hogan’s lawyer Andrew Robinson said in the statement.
“He denies the liability asserted by the ATO and has filed objections which have not been the subject of any response from the ATO. He will continue to defend his position through all available legal and other channels.”
Hogan has been the subject of number of running battles with the ATO over the past five years over allegations that Hogan has used tax havens and other strategies to avoid tax.
In High Court documents released in June, it was revealed that the ATO and the Australian Crime Commission had accused Hogan of misleading Australian and United States tax authorities by claiming he was not a resident in either country, and therefore not liable to pay tax.
Hogan has strenuously and repeatedly denied all accusations, and has never been charged with an offense.
He is also clearly unimpressed with the ATO’s latest tactic.
“Paul believes that this exercise is a manifestly unfair attempt to gain leverage by the ATO.”
But if the ATO’s use of the Departure Prohibition Orders is a tactic designed to get Hogan to the negotiating table, it appears to have had some impact.
“The process of detaining Paul in Australia away from his wife and child in Los Angeles has devastated Paul and he hopes that discussions between us and the ATO will lead to a prompt resolution allowing him to return to his family, and thereafter to travel to and from Australia as his personal and business needs require,” his lawyers said.
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
