Werribee has been singled out by the Australian Taxation Office as one of three Melbourne suburbs to be targeted in a crackdown on misbehaving cash-only businesses.
ATO officers will be visiting businesses in Werribee, Box Hill and Glen Waverley as part of a nation-wide effort to tackle “the cash and hidden economy”.
ATO assistant commissioner Tom Wheeler told radio station 3AW that a number of factors had led to Werribee, Box Hill and Glen Waverley being selected for the investigation.
“What we’ve been looking for here is areas that appear to be dealing in cash,” he said.
“We may see cash-only signs, we also look at data we receive from financial institutions on merchant credit and debit card usage.”
Mr Wheeler said the ATO had also received complaints from the community about particular businesses that might not be doing the right thing.
“We are focusing on businesses that typically have high cash transactions or only take cash, such as restaurants, cafes, pubs, hairdressers, beauty salons and home-based businesses, along with other local retailers,” he said.
For more information, visit ato.gov.au/protectinghonestbusiness.
