Australia - NSW man accused of $200,000 GST scam

A Sydney man used 21 Australian business numbers to scam more than $200,000 from the government in less than a year, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) say.

The Rockdale man, 31, is also alleged to have attempted to obtain a further $195,033 in goods and services tax refunds.

Police said he was arrested after an investigation revealed the theft of $200,584 from the commonwealth through fraudulent goods and services tax refund claims.

False claims submitted to the Australian tax office began in January this year, they said.

"The charges come after an extensive operation requiring high-level cooperation between the state and commonwealth agencies," AFP agent Warren Gray said.