Case and status
Robofusion Asia and director Robert Taramelli were convicted of GST evasion. A fabricated September 2013 invoice for ten machines at S$509,540.72 supported input tax of S$35,667.85; the genuine invoice with the same number had already been claimed in June 2013.
Facts, amounts and outcome
Taramelli received six weeks’ imprisonment and S$107,003.55 penalties. Robofusion separately received S$107,003.55 penalties and a S$8,000 fine. IRAS detected anomalies during regular GST audits. Purchase-tax listings must reflect genuine invoices in the correct accounting period; reusing an invoice number with fabricated details does not create a fresh deduction.
GST fraud consequences described by IRAS
The release distinguishes genuine input-tax recovery from deliberate false returns: overstated input tax, omitted output tax and fictitious transactions can constitute GST evasion. The cited consequences on conviction include a penalty of three times the tax undercharged, a fine up to S$10,000 and/or imprisonment up to seven years. These are statutory possibilities described in the release, separate from the actual sentence or allegations in this case.
Disclosure, reporting and rewards
IRAS encourages taxpayers to correct past errors and report suspected tax malpractices. The release says disclosure may be considered when deciding enforcement action; it is not a blanket promise of immunity. Where the release describes informant rewards, qualifying information leading to otherwise lost tax recovery may attract 15% of recovered tax, capped at S$100,000, at IRAS’ discretion. Informant identities are kept confidential. Use the official release links for its reporting and disclosure channels.
Official source
This report is independently written from the IRAS release dated above. Case status, policy announcements and historical figures refer to that release.
Read the complete IRAS release ↗