Federal police and tax officials have raided the home of a department whistleblower over allegations he broke privacy and secrecy laws to access taxpayer information.
"Today, swift action was taken, in the execution of a search warrant against an individual in Adelaide, to secure information which we believed was obtained contrary to our secrecy obligations," the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
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Whistleblower Richard Boyle was the target, according to Fairfax and the ABC, who are working on a major joint investigation into the ATO's powers.
The outlets claim the warrants allege Mr Boyle took originals or copies of taxpayer information or photos of ATO computer screens or emails.
Mr Boyle told the ABC his rental unit in Edwardstown was raided this morning by a team of four AFP officers accompanied by an ATO investigator.
He said he accessed the information in order to help taxpayers, although no further information has been provided.
"This is an astonishing use of public resources, to investigate someone who has passionately and with every fibre of my being tried to assist taxpayers in meeting their tax obligations and to enforce taxpayers who are ripping the country off by not paying their fair share of tax," he said.
Mr Boyle told the ABC there was some suggestion from the AFP and ATO officers at his home that he had committed a crime in speaking to the media.
"It's absolutely astonishing. I'm horrified that this organisation has these powers over the community and I think things need to change," he said.
The ABC has reported that Mr Boyle has had a series of previous run-ins with the ATO.
It claimed that 2016 he was formally reprimanded and had his salary docked, for accessing client records against ATO policy and against advice and cancelling interest charges imposed on taxpayers without ATO approval.
Mr Boyle told the ABC and Fairfax he was only ever trying to assist those taxpayers.
In a statement, the ATO reportedly said protecting confidentiality was "critical for the integrity of Australia's tax and super systems".
The Fairfax and ABC investigation will be released next Monday.
