Toni Watson – better known to music lovers as Tones And I – is reportedly being sued by the Australian Taxation Office, who are seeking to reclaim more than $400k from the pop singer.
As The Herald Sun and Channel 7 have reported, court documents filed in Victoria’s County Court on April 23rd outline that Watson currently owes the ATO a total of $432,797.27, with the owed figure relating to “BAS provisions and administrative penalties.”
The Herald Sun notes that – as per the documents – Watson is “liable to pay the general interest charge for each day at the end of which there was an RBA deficit debt,” pointing out that BAS provisions typically relate to GST and PAYG withholding/instalments.
The Music reached out to Tones And I’s management for comment, but had not heard back by the time of publication.
The court documents reportedly list both Watson and her Johnny Run Away Investments company (named for her debut single), the latter of which has previously been fined thousands of dollars by the Victorian legal system.
In July 2023, Watson’s company pleaded guilty to three charges related to unauthorised building works that were actioned on an investment property in Melbourne between October and November of 2020, with a fine of $20,000 imposed by the Frankston Magistrates’ Court.
Watson managed to avoid being charged herself, with 11 charges against her reportedly dropped, though her husband, Jason Bedford, pleaded guilty to one charge of carrying out building works without a permit, earning him a $5,000 fine.
Watson has been performing as a musician since 2009, but burst onto the music scene in 2019 after her busking career resulted in signing a record deal with Sony Music Australia, and the release of her second single, Dance Monkey, in 2019.
The track was a viral sensation, topping charts around the world, and being certified as the most-streamed song by a female artist in 2023.
Tones And I's most recent album, Beautifully Ordinary, arrived in August 2024 and became her second consecutive record to top the Australian charts.
