if there were no welfare cheats, there would be a crap load more money to go to those who need it genuinely. there would be no requirement for funds for investigations, there would be no legal fees paid by the government in prosecuting fraud - and you're right, you may not get any reduction to the tax you pay BUT there is a budget assigned to family assistance and social security - and if that didn't have to have funds coming out of it to pay the cheats, to pay for investigation - there'd be more there that WOULD be able to be dispersed - so directly, you may not see it - but indirectly, it makes a huge difference.

for instance - for every pps customer who is partnered and claiming pps when they shouldn't be - they're getting AT LEAST 150 a fortnight more than they should be. depending on partner income, it could be as much as 550 (or more) a fortnight PLUS the extra ftb they're claiming. it's ridiculous, it's against the law. it's something that should be reported.

fwiw - when you do a tip off one of the last questions is "is there any information that you have provided that may identify you as the person providing this tip off" - when it's submitted to the team that investigate, they will not make reference to that information at all. a tip off is investigated in a way that is not able to be noticed as a tip off to the person being investigated


ultimately, it is up to you where your moral compass points. as someone who has had to live on welfare and end up in an horrific amount of debt just to survive as a student (what a brilliant scheme - give up some of your youth allowance, get double back each fortnight just to give you enough to survive on - but it becomes a debt when you're finished uni!) - i know how hard it is to get by on a pittance. but i also wouldn't do anything illegal. i guess my moral compass is pointed in a certain direction, and was there well before i started working for centrelink