An n has blasted ‘tall poppy syndrome’ in the country and claims he was forced to flee overseas because of the ‘ridiculous’ level of tax.
Adrian Mudronja, a forex trader who grew up in Adelaide, said he had reached breaking point and decided to pack up his bags and leave for Dubai in 2023.
The former plumber had moved to the Gold Coast a year earlier after switching careers to become a trader and start a business, when he learned the brutal reality.
‘If you think for a second [the n] government cares about you, you’re wrong,’ Mr Mudronja said in a TikTok video.
The entrepreneur, also known as AJ Currency, claimed that due to ‘s tax system, ‘if you own a business and you’re making a lot of money, you’re going to be working six or seven months of the year for free’.
‘Why would I work six months for free? That makes no sense, so what do I do? Move to Dubai.’
Mr Mudronja, who founded proprietary trading firm FundedX, fumed over ‘s income tax rates and business rates, branding the system ‘ridiculous’.
‘It’s absolutely absurd,’ he said. ‘It makes no sense.’
Individuals are taxed under a progressive tax system in , with the rate increasing as income rises.
The United Arab Emirates, in comparison, does not levy income tax on individuals.
In , the full company tax rate is 30 per cent, and businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $50million are eligible for the lower tax rate of 25 per cent.
The standard corporate tax rate in the UAE is nine per cent for income exceeding AED 375,000 (AU$157,000), while a zero per cent rate applies for income below this threshold.
The entrepreneur also said he found those who lived in Dubai and South-East Asia celebrated success, while in ‘people bring you down’.
‘If you get to a point where you are doing well in , people bring you down. That’s the sad thing,’ Mr Mudronja said.
‘Instead of building you up, and getting motivated, and wanting to succeed alongside you, they want to find any reason to bring you down instead.’
Mr Mudronja said ‘if you’re winning’ in Dubai or South-East Asia, ‘people are excited for you’.
‘They want to see you win, they want to win as well, and they want to see how they can collaborate with you and make money with you,’ he said.
Despite his complaints, he told his followers he ‘loves’ and returns frequently to visit friends and family.
‘I really love the Gold Coast,’ he added.
However, he felt ‘forced’ him to leave and he can’t see himself living back home full time.
Social media users agreed with Mr Mudronja, claiming the taxes were too high.
‘The n government are legal thieves,’ one wrote.
‘So true,’ another chimed in. ‘I now hate , especially Victoria. We have our own business and it seems we earn a lot, but we are so broke with all the taxes.’