E&Y behind Crocodile Dundee star's tax advice

Documents released at the order of the Federal Australian Court reveal Big Four firm Ernst & Young was a major provider of tax and legal advice to Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan and his tax adviser Tony Stewart in a ‘sham’ to evade tax, according to allegations by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC).

The documents reveal the ACC alleges ‘a scheme or conspiracy’ between Hogan and Stewart to produce ‘sham’ travel movements aimed at allowing money to be paid to Hogan when he ‘was not a tax resident of any country and therefore the payment was free of tax', according to the Melbourne paper The Age.

At this stage, neither Hogan nor Stewart has been charged. Their lawyers' bid so far has focussed on gaining access to documents accumulated by the commission as part of the Australian Tax Office’s Wickenby probe into tax fraud and evasion.

‘We are confident that all of the work undertaken by E&Y would not be a matter for Project Wickenby,’ an E&Y spokesman told The Age.

Further reading:

Crocodile Dundee actor ready to confront Oz taxman

Crocodile Dundee actor challenges Oz taxman

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