Media conglomerate News Corp was in damage control after it published an April Fool’s joke claiming it had paid tax, and then accidentally went through with it.
The company published a hilarious article in its newspapers and websites saying it would pay a full company tax rate of 30% from now on, instead of the zero dollars in tax it currently pays in Australia*.
It was, of course, just a joke for April 1st. But things turned south when the company’s CFO – who wasn’t briefed on the prank – took it seriously and forwarded millions of dollars to the Australian Taxation Office.
Readers were not so easily fooled, with many saying it was a very obvious joke. “As if News Corp would pay tax – it just demonises poor people for not paying tax. Try a bit harder with your April Fool’s Day jokes next time please,” one reader wrote.
News Corp is now scrambling to have the funds returned and has removed the articles from its websites.
*News Corp generated $1.88bn in income in Australia in 2022-23, but paid no tax. It has paid virtually no tax since 2015.
