12 May, 2016. 17:45
ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
SELF-CONFESSED TAX PAYER and welfare recipient Duncan Storrar shot to fame earlier this week after going into bat for Aussie battlers on ABC’s Q&A.
This morning, he’s famous for another reason.
Alongside this morning’s revelations surrounding Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s involvement, the 45-year-old father of two was once a director of an offshore company set up by Mossack Fonseca, data from the Panama Papers shows.
Despite declaring on national television that he was doing it hard, that he was broke, this latest development says anything but.
Mr Storrar has addressed the allegations, saying he wasn’t aware that the small logistics company he was named a director of was, in fact, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands through services provided by Mossack Fonseca.
The company, Storrar & Nephew Pty, has been linked to a number of small contracts to deliver goods such as milk and newspapers in the greater Geelong area – whereby most of the invoices were paid to an offshore company.
From 1994 to 2011, Storrar worked sporadically as a delivery driver for the company, despite being on the board. This was to maintain the illusion of being a low-income worker, which his Australian bank accounts would reflect.
But, the real story is much different.
“I pay tax, just like everybody else,” said the downtrodden Victorian.
“But I’m no longer a director of Storrar & Nephew and had I known the company structure as it’s been outlined today, I would’ve made arrangements to have that rectified so we’d be paying the correct amount of tax.”
“Like that rich guy once said, if you don’t minimise your tax debt, then you ought to get your head read.”
Mr Storrar’s financial activity from 1994 onwards is now subject to an ongoing Tax Office investigation, in partnership with the Australian Federal Police.
Should the Geelong resident be linked to any misconduct linked to his position as a director of Storrar & Nephew, then he may face possible gaol time.
More to come.
The last line, more to come, has really whetted my appetite.
In a financial environment where corporations get away with blue murder and the tax payers sit by, wringing their worked to the bone little hands, wondering when or if anyone will do anything about it, what the government needs is a tax avoider to nail to the wall to show how decisive and resolute it is. Step up, Duncan Storrar.
Duncan Storrar, company director, is exactly the individual to whom the full force of the law can now be applied and woe betide him for any violations that are uncovered in what will be a full and thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, Ikea, McDonalds and a legion of others pay no tax at all. But first things first, we can get around to the big fish later on. Right?
Outstanding investigative journalism – Q&A should take note of such balanced reporting.
how about Wizard of Tas, you put the same about investigative journalism towards the lieberal party, I know who I have my money on…..
Firstly I’m not sure I believe this article but the last line surely implies that Malcolm Turnbull must also be in the same predicament?
What he actually said was that he paid tax every time he went to the shops. Ie GST.
Launching a taxation investigation into him is appalling. From what I understand it is not even a currently registered company. If his name came off the registration over 7 yrs ago they know full well that it’s outside the statute of limitations. This type of bullying by the government is disgusting.
My mother used an accountant when she moved to Brisbane. He supplied her with a shelf company for like $2o bucks and she ran her rental incomes through there. Come the first whiff of the Fitzgerald enquiry he shut up shop and bolted. The shelf company of which she remained director had been owned by someone under investigation. Did that make my mother a thug? Or dishonest? Of course not. This is what happens to average people who humiliate politicians publicly. He is now going to be investigated by the tax office. It’s disgraceful that they are using their position and privilege to defame a battler who showed how truly out of touch this government is.
He never said he was a model citizen he explained his situation to clarify the point he was making. He wasn’t whinging (and let’s face it there is a lot to whinge about). What he was saying in his own words that trickle down economics is not a quick fix for people on low incomes.
So, they discover that he has anger management issues. He has paid is debt by serving jail time but somehow the news papers are yourself are allowed to villify him because he had the temerity to speak up. Our federal government have revealed themselves as the bullying bastards that they are. I think they should look in the mirror and ask themselves who the thugs truly are.
Btw, if he was the director of a small delivery business then he would had had to put in a return through the company. Like most small business owners with a new business it’s highly unlikely that he was drawing much of a salary as a director. Even if the funds were going overseas it was obviously declared at the time or you wouldn’t have access to that data.
He was talking about his current situation so why are people like yourself highlighting his past.? All he did was ask as question that pertained to his current situation.
He did not ask anyone to raise money for him. That’s what Aussies do when they feel strongly they give. The government should really look at how fast the money was raised as a true litmus test as to the current views of the Australian public wit regards to their policies.
Nicely said Pan.
I wonder if someone deceptively spliced or interwove a story that was supposed to be about Malcolm Turnbull dodging tax in an offshore company and substituted Duncan Storrar’s name for Malcolm’s. I mean, how could an impoverished truck driver have anything to do with tax havens used by the fat cats?