Free Women's Blog

Actor Paul Hogan has launched a new attack on Australian tax officials, after he left the country in the middle of an ongoing battle over supposed unpaid tax bills.

The star of Crocodile Dundee was banned from leaving the country, as he was served with an Australian Taxation Office – ATO – order in August 2010.

He was allowed to leave on Friday, 3 September 2010 and returned to Los Angeles on Sunday. He denied reports that ATO had lifted the ban after amiable discussions.

He told reporters: “It wasn’t friendly. They let me out because of the bad publicity around the world. It was sort of, ‘What? You get kept in there (Australia)? Guilty until proven innocent?’ Their words were ‘Shut up, you can leave. You’ve got seven days.’

“I have come to this great tax haven, the USA, where the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) are gentlemen compared to our lot.”

Hogan, 70, is accused of using offshore bank accounts to cover up his earnings and he allegedly owns $32.1 million.

Still, he claims will not allow the scandal stop from returning to Australia for Christmas, adding, “It’s only a couple of a**holes who treated me badly. They’re not going to trap me there again. They wouldn’t dare.”

Paul Hogan cannot keep his financial records private, as Australia’s High Court has ruled the actor’s delicate documents will be made public as part of an ongoing tax probe.

The Crocodile Dundee star was investigated by the Australian Crime Commission for the last couple of years, surrounding allegations he directed millions of dollars into tax havens abroad.

In 2009, the actor challenged a court decision to release his private records connected to the case and the appeal went to the country’s highest legal arena.

But now, the High Court ruled against Hogan, making possible for the star’s records to be made public. The judge told Hogan’s lawyers there is no risk for the star if the documents are released.