Annette Pike owned a transcribing business with multiple contractors – the ATO cancelled all of the ABN’s so she couldn’t work and sent her broke.
Annette Pike describes the actions of the tax office as “evil”. Ms Pike says the ATO has an agenda, sadly the Australian public are not aware of the conduct and actions of the ATO.
Ms Pike first went public about the misconduct of the ATO when she appeared on the ABC’s “Mongrel Bunch of Bastards” in 2018. TO find out more click on the Tab “ATO Under Investigation“, and you can visit the ABC website.
Ms Pike says “we were naive – How can you describe someone who’s trying to destroy your livelihood and destroy your way of life? I’d call that evil”.
Ms Pike built a successful transcription business which gives her the freedom and flexibility to work from home. With a swag of government, corporate and academic clients she can’t do it all herself so she outsources jobs to 16 transcription typists around the country.
Ms Pike says her business at OutScribe was booming until the Tax Office came knocking in May 2017. She says the ATO was trying to ascertain whether our business model of utilising self-employed contractors or independent contractors, was legitimate. It would seem they were trying to say that we should be employing them. The contractor’s should be employees. Ms Pike says “that’s not the way the industry works; that’s not the way our business model works”.
Cancellation of ABN’s
Out of the blue, the ATO cancelled the ABN’s of the contractors, they had been cancelled. Summarily cancelled. The contractors were no longer able to work.
Ms Little’s world literally fell apart, she had the rug pulled out from under her by the ATO. 11 months on the ATO is still investigating OutScribe.
Ms Pike says if she had read this in a film script, she would say I was in an Eastern Bloc country in the 1950s behind the Iron Curtain because It’s the government controlling the way people live in a way that’s malicious. There’s no other word for it. It’s malicious and it’s vengeful. We’re supporting the Australian economy. How do you make sense of that?
The Australian Taxation Office is one of the most powerful institutions in Australia. If the ATO suspects you owe it money, you are guilty until proven innocent. It can raid your home or business without a warrant, and compel you to answer questions.
GRAEME HALPERIN, TAX BARRISTER:
“You’ve got tremendous power invested in an organisation which, because of its powers, can effectively act like a judge, jury and executioner all rolled up into one. That’s the problem”.
You can read about more victims, click on the Tab “ATO Victims“.