Jun 10, 2026 – 5.00amTax advisers have slammed the $87 million budget boost for the Tax Office to investigate research and development fraud, pointing to a recent case where tax officials themselves were caught altering evidence, falsifying statements and misleading the court.Tax adviser Tracey Murray, who spent 10 years as an ATO auditor and four years as a director at PwC, said the budget funding exposed hypocrisy in how R&D claims are investigated and warned it would deepen regulatory overreach in a program meant to promote innovation.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Tax Office gets $87m to stop R&D fraud. Advisers say ATO is the cheat
Tax advisers point to a recent case where ATO officials themselves were caught altering evidence, falsifying statements and misleading the court.
108 words~1 min read
