When West Australian mining billionaire Chris Ellison was accused of a decade of tax evasion, his lawyers responded by trying to cut a deal with the Australian Taxation Office. 

The terms of that deal included an 80 per cent reduction in the penalty payable and an assurance that his conduct wouldn’t be referred to police or the corporate watchdog. 

The reason that Ellison, managing director of the company Mineral Resources, would push for those terms is obvious. The real question is why the tax office would agree to it. 

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on how the ATO protects the rich. 

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

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