On 17 April 2013, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) announced that it will request from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) names and addresses and other details of visa holders of Visa Subclasses 406, 410, 411, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428, 442, 457, 462, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 580 for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 income years.
These will be electronically matched and analysed with certain sections of ATO data holdings to identify potential fraud, and other non compliance with lodgment and payment obligations under taxation law. Records relating to approximately 1,000,000 individuals who were granted visas under the above subclasses will be matched.
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2013G00598
Comment
It would seem that political agendas are at play in the run up to 14 September 2013 Federal Election.
Brendan O'Connor, the Federal Minister responsible for DIAC recently claimed on the Sky News' Australian Agenda program that over ten thousand foreign workers were subject to the illegitimate use of the 457 regime program. His comments included:
"In so far as numbers, I believe that the areas where there's been an illegitimate use of 457s numbers in the thousands. It's not negligible,"
"I would say it would exceed over ten thousand."
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