News Brief: Financial Abuse and Coerced Debt
Summary
Survivors of domestic violence are being burdened with massive tax and business debts fraudulently incurred by abusive partners, leading to calls for legal reform and better support services.
Key Points
- Coerced Directorships: Perpetrators register partners as company directors without their knowledge, making them liable for company tax debts and penalties.
- Devastating Impact: Victims face overwhelming debt, loss of financial autonomy, and a recovery process that can take many years.
- Government Proposals: The federal government is consulting on changes to make it harder to appoint directors without clear consent and easier for victims to leave coerced roles.
- Systemic Gaps: Abuse extends beyond company directorships to include fraudulent ABN registrations, tax returns, and self-managed super fund withdrawals.
- Calls for Support: Advocates demand more funding for free legal/financial support for victims and penalties for professionals who enable abuse.
- Innocent Spouse Relief: Experts propose adopting US-style provisions to waive ATO debts for victims of financial abuse, holding perpetrators liable.
- ATO’s Stance: The ATO has a new vulnerability framework but notes current law prevents full debt waiver; it offers specialized support staff.
新闻简报：经济虐待与胁迫债务
摘要
家庭暴力幸存者正背负着由施虐伴侣欺诈性产生的巨额税务和商业债务，这引发了要求法律改革和更好支持服务的呼声。
关键点
- 被胁迫的公司董事职位：施虐者在伴侣不知情的情况下将其注册为公司董事，使其对公司税务债务和罚款承担责任。
- 毁灭性影响：受害者面临巨额债务、财务自主权丧失，以及可能持续多年的恢复过程。
- 政府提案：联邦政府正在就相关改革征求意见，旨在使未经明确同意任命董事变得更难，并让受害者更容易退出被胁迫的职位。
- 系统性漏洞：虐待行为不仅限于公司董事职位，还包括欺诈性ABN注册、纳税申报以及自管理养老基金提款。
- 支持服务呼吁：倡导者要求为受害者提供更多免费法律/财务支持的资金，并对促成虐待的专业人士进行处罚。
- “无辜配偶”减免：专家建议采用美国式的条款，为经济虐待受害者免除ATO债务，并追究施虐者的责任。
- ATO的立场：ATO推出了新的脆弱性应对框架，但指出现行法律不允许完全免除债务；其提供专门的支持人员。
Original Article Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-10/penalties-call-for-perpetrators-coercive-financial-abuse-fraud/106093388