Poor Old Hoges a Prisoner in His Home Country

He is not allowed to fly home to good old US of A

Held prisoner by our good diligent Tax Department ATO

Spunky 40-something year old Australian actor named Paul Hogan starred in a low budget comedy called Crocodile Dundee. Much to the shock and surprise of everyone, the Australian made movie became a worldwide phenomena with blistering box office receipts that one website reports totaled a staggering $328,000,000.

In 1986, around the time Mister Hogan's crocodile movie was released, he was dee-vorced from his second wife–who was also his first wife–and in 1990 married his Crocodile Dundee co-star and current wife, actress Linda Kozlowski.

Unfortunately for movie goers, two more Dundee films followed the first. The second installment roared to box office success 1988 and, in a futile effort to squeeze blood from a cinema turnip, the third was released in 2001. Not surprisingly the third, final, and desperate Crocodile Dundee film was a box office flop. None the less and according to the same above mentioned website, the second and third Dundee movies took in combined gross receipts of $278,993,111.

Given their rather slim resumes on the Internet Movie Data Base, not many people, particularly those in the business of show, have thought much if at all of Mister Hogan and Miz Kozlowski since at least the early 2000s. The couple have, however, been much in the papers and tabloids the last few days and weeks due to some nasty and alleged tax issues back in Australia.

Here's the skinny as Your Mama understands it: For the last five or so years Mister Hogan (and Miz Kozlowski) have been embroiled with the Australian Taxation Office over back taxes...boo-coo back taxes as it turns out. The A.T.O. claims that Mister Hogan, now a septuagenarian, used off-shore bank accounted to hide profits from the stoopid but lucrative Crocodile Dundee film franchise. Although exact numbers have not been released, recent reports reveal that the Aussie tax-man says Mister Hogan owes 37.6 million Australian dollars of unpaid taxes, an amount Your Mama's currency conversion contraption reveals amounts to a heart stopping 33,365,600 in U.S. cheddar. A week ago, Mister Hogan flew back to Australia san wife and kid to attend his mother's funeral and, much to his and his wife's surprise, was immediately served an order by the A.T.O. that forbids him from leaving Australia until he coughs up the cash for his back taxes.''end of quote

News here in OZ Hoges voices his opinion on abc.au news

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/08/31/2998843.htm

Member for Rockhampton in Federal Government of Australia

A hint with my home photography, the originals are quiet large. Click once you get a bigger picture, and twice it may fill your whole screen. Worth a 3rd look..

Report from the Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton's News Paper
Kirsten defends relocation cost
Adrian Taylor | 10th August 2010




Kirsten Livermore sizes up her new office at The Swan.

by Allan Reinikka
KIRSTEN Livermore’s office relocation in Rockhampton cost taxpayers more than $318,000, newly published expenses reveal.

The move from the Capricornia MP’s former constituency headquarters in East Street to the newly refurbished Swan Hotel in Denham Street last September was the major factor in her claim totalling $403,324 for the six-month period to the end of December 2009.

Defending the cost, a spokesman for Ms Livermore said she was normally noted for her frugal approach and determination to give constituents value for money.

He said the bill for relocation, the first for 10 years, had been significantly boosted by factors beyond her control.

“Offices for Federal MPs have, by regulation, to meet communication and security standards,” he said.

It is understood that when the MP took a lease on The Swan, it was an empty shell and had to be decorated and furnished at the taxpayers’ expense. A soundproof room had to be created – in theory so that a visiting prime minister might speak privately on the telephone to another head of state.

At the time of the move Ms Livermore cited problems with parking in East Street as one of the main reasons for relocating to the old pub which was refurbished and converted into offices after lying empty for years.

The MP, who is bidding for a fifth term as Capricornia’s representative in Canberra, also claimed $28,000 for office administration, $13,219 travelling allowance, $18,000 in air fares and almost $10,000 for charter flights within the constituency.

Her office said she had spent less than half of her annual $26,000 allocation for family travel – money that can be used to take her spouse and children between Canberra and Rockhampton during the 21 weeks she spends in parliament during the year.

Ms Livermore claimed $5000 expenses for running her own car on constituency business, but less than $100 in taxi fares.

In the same six-month period when ex-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd racked up $1.8 million in expenses, and Sunshine Coast MP Peter Slipper claimed $640,000, including $16,000 for taxis, Member for Flynn Chris Trevor claimed $520,447.

He also moved to new offices – in Gladstone – and taxpayers were slugged $353,609 for the new office plus $101,000 in office administration.

The Member for Dawson, James Bidgood, claimed $269,225 during the same six-month period.

The total for the three Central Queensland members is $1,192,996.
Plenty of Dirty Washing eh Kirstin? Is that why the Steam Laundry Truck is Parked outside your office?