Aerial Patrol on the rocks?
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The tax man is moving to wind up NSW Air - the commercial arm of the Illawarra’s charitable Australian Aerial Patrol – over a $115,678 debt.
In documents lodged with the Federal Court of Australia earlier this month, the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation asks that the Albion Park-based pilot school and charter flight company be wound up in insolvency.
The matter will have its first airing in the Federal Court next week.
The deputy commissioner will ask the court to appoint a liquidator – BRI Ferrier director Geoffrey Granger – and will seek an order that costs of the liquidation process are paid out of NSW Air’s assets.
NSW Air was given 21 days to clear its tax debt in a March 14 notice.
The debt includes a $4336 superannuation guarantee charge, for the April 2015 quarter.
Australian Aerial Patrol general manager Harry Mitchell is NSW Air’s sole director. The patrol’s financials and their handling by Mr Mitchell in particular were scrutinised late last year by Ian Fargher, a University of Wollongong lecturer in forensic accounting investigation and former Assistant Commissioner of Taxation.
In a report commissioned by patrol board members, Mr Fargher detailed alleged corporate wrongdoing. Mr Mitchell has denied these allegations.
He questioned the structure of the business and charity and found management of the patrol’s finances was “confused with multiple bank accounts, many inter-entity transfers, ad-hoc personal loans, poor and in consistent notations leading to confusion as to business, charity and personal money”.
Mr Fargher found NSW Air Pty Ltd and Aero V – the patrol’s maintenance and repair arm - owed $142,521 and $47,501 to the Australian Taxation Office respectively.
He attempted to trace the dispersal of $750,000 received by the patrol as part-payment for NSW Air and Aero V.
The money came from pilot Bernhard Stevermuer. Police later charged Mr Stevermuer and deemed his deposit part of huge profits from a drug trafficking syndicate run by his associates.
There is no suggestion Mr Mitchell knew anything about the drug syndicate.
The patrol’s finances have piqued the interest of the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, Lake Illawarra police,the NSW Crime Commission and the Department of Fair Trading. The taxation matter goes to court June 8.
In documents lodged with the Federal Court of Australia earlier this month, the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation asks that the Albion Park-based pilot school and charter flight company be wound up in insolvency.
The matter will have its first airing in the Federal Court next week.
The deputy commissioner will ask the court to appoint a liquidator – BRI Ferrier director Geoffrey Granger – and will seek an order that costs of the liquidation process are paid out of NSW Air’s assets.
NSW Air was given 21 days to clear its tax debt in a March 14 notice.
The debt includes a $4336 superannuation guarantee charge, for the April 2015 quarter.
Australian Aerial Patrol general manager Harry Mitchell is NSW Air’s sole director. The patrol’s financials and their handling by Mr Mitchell in particular were scrutinised late last year by Ian Fargher, a University of Wollongong lecturer in forensic accounting investigation and former Assistant Commissioner of Taxation.
In a report commissioned by patrol board members, Mr Fargher detailed alleged corporate wrongdoing. Mr Mitchell has denied these allegations.
He questioned the structure of the business and charity and found management of the patrol’s finances was “confused with multiple bank accounts, many inter-entity transfers, ad-hoc personal loans, poor and in consistent notations leading to confusion as to business, charity and personal money”.
Mr Fargher found NSW Air Pty Ltd and Aero V – the patrol’s maintenance and repair arm - owed $142,521 and $47,501 to the Australian Taxation Office respectively.
He attempted to trace the dispersal of $750,000 received by the patrol as part-payment for NSW Air and Aero V.
The money came from pilot Bernhard Stevermuer. Police later charged Mr Stevermuer and deemed his deposit part of huge profits from a drug trafficking syndicate run by his associates.
There is no suggestion Mr Mitchell knew anything about the drug syndicate.
The patrol’s finances have piqued the interest of the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, Lake Illawarra police,the NSW Crime Commission and the Department of Fair Trading. The taxation matter goes to court June 8.
There's only one thing scarier than a shark - the taxman!
Extraordinary ... While most Australian businesses do all in their power to avoid paying unnecessary tax, it is an old maxim that if you are not paying tax, you are not earning money. If this business indeed owes $115678 in tax it must have been one of the most viable general aviation businesses in Australia 
Unless of course, they didn't hand over the payroll tax collected from their employees ...
Unless of course, they didn't hand over the payroll tax collected from their employees ...
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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Depends on how long it's been going on. Every single invoice says inc. GST, so there is at least $6000 from me alone. Fail to hand it over for 20 or so students and $100k is reached pretty quickly.
Not Harry's fault of course, he's only the sole director and General Manager, why should he be accountable for any money issues? He's great at business, his rental properties are immaculately maintained, frequently stimulates the Hawaiian economy with his holiday spending........if only he'd use his own money.
Not Harry's fault of course, he's only the sole director and General Manager, why should he be accountable for any money issues? He's great at business, his rental properties are immaculately maintained, frequently stimulates the Hawaiian economy with his holiday spending........if only he'd use his own money.
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What of Promise of Helicopter and Funds Raised for it?
back in the late 90's and right upto 2002 Harry Mitchell and Brad Kenyon were involved in various Raffles (eg Harley Davidson Raffle etc) where they were raising substancial sums of money with a promise to provide the Illawarra with a permenant Rescue Helicopter. In fact in early 2002 I attended a meeting with these two men who were offerred at that time a fully operation rescue helicopter for a minimum of 12 months with a view to them setting up a community based method of funding it. However they declined the offer insisting that they were on track to purchasing their own helicopter by October that year !
I never saw a helicopter service.... so what happened to the money raised ??
I never saw a helicopter service.... so what happened to the money raised ??
Aerial Patrol to miss clubs? cash | Illawarra Mercury
At what point do the board ask themselves if this man still has the ability to perform the job of GM? Surely after missing the above date they must be asking questions? Or perhaps they are just realistic and know they would never get any funding anyway after recent events
At what point do the board ask themselves if this man still has the ability to perform the job of GM? Surely after missing the above date they must be asking questions? Or perhaps they are just realistic and know they would never get any funding anyway after recent events
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So with no aircraft, no hangar, no funding, and now no charity status, what the hell are you president of? Old man jerk circle? Give it up fellas, you're embarrassing yourselves.
Last edited by 50 50; 21st Oct 2017 at 03:06.
