Tax Fraud

Plymouth Brethren member William Gage, who was a registered tax agent running his own company in Minto, NSW, has been banned for fraud and misconduct. The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) issued the statement below. It is unclear if the Australian Tax Office (ATO) will take further action against Mr Gage. The company website for WA Gage & Co has since been taken offline for 'maintenance'.

We approached Mr Gage for comment and have not received a response. 

The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) has terminated the registration of tax agent, William Gage of Sydney, following an extensive investigation into his conduct. Mr Gage is no longer able to provide tax agent services and is banned from reapplying for registration for a period of 3 years.
 
The TPB determined Mr Gage’s behaviour breached the Code of Professional Conduct. It was also found that he no longer met the registration requirement of being a fit and proper person to practice as a tax agent. Additionally, due to the serious misconduct findings against Mr Gage, he is also now a disqualified entity, preventing him from providing tax agent or BAS services on behalf of a registered tax practitioner.

The TPB’s investigation uncovered multiple breaches, including failure to act honestly and with integrity and non-compliance with taxation laws regarding his personal affairs. This behaviour will not be tolerated, the TPB and the community expect all tax practitioners to keep their personal tax obligations up to date.
Specifically, Mr Gage:

• submitted an altered gift receipt to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to support deductions claimed in his tax return. The original document, issued to another party by The Benevolent Relief Fund, was altered to include Mr Gage’s name. During an interview with the ATO’s Wealth Program in late 2024, he initially denied the alteration before ultimately admitting to the misconduct
• claimed rental expense deductions in tax returns for his tax agent company, AWG Property Services Pty Ltd, over 3 years despite the company never paying rent or holding lease agreements
• claimed rental losses on tax returns over 13 years from 30 June 2009 onwards, for a property not owned after 30 September 2015 and not rented before 30 June 2020
• failed to lodge 4 tax returns and 6 business activity statements for his associated entities by their respective due dates.

Speaking about the case, Chair of the TPB, Peter de Cure AM, commented, ‘The integrity of the tax profession relies on tax practitioners upholding the highest ethical standards, and this case demonstrates the TPB’s commitment to taking decisive action against those who fail to do so. Mr Gage’s misconduct spanned many years and undermined public confidence making his deregistration a necessary step in maintaining trust in the system.’

Mr de Cure went on to say, ‘We work closely with the ATO and other government regulators to ensure we achieve the best outcomes for all registered tax practitioners and the Australian community as a whole. We have adopted a whole-of-government approach to support strategies to identify shared risks and build greater fraud detection and prevention measures.  Acting against tax practitioners who are involved in fraud, promotes a capable, trusted and well-regulated tax profession.’

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.