Crocodile Dundee to tax collectors: 'Come and get me'

Australian actor Paul Hogan, portraying the bravado that made his Crocodile Dundee character so popular, had some combative words for his native country's tax office:

"Come and get me,
you miserable bastards."

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) believes Hogan has not paid taxes on some earnings and has asked American tax collectors for help in making their case. The Aussies' interest in Hogan is part of Operation Wickenby, a $300 million investigation into tax fraud.

Following the request, the IRS ordered three U.S. banks to hand over details of Hogan's accounts, along with financial info on four related companies.

Hogan, who now lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., is fighting IRS involvement in the Los Angeles courts, saying the ATO is trying to get documents it would not legally obtain in Australia.

After his initial outburst, Hogan took a somewhat more mellow California tone. Noting that the tax offices of two countries were interested in him, he said "I feel pretty important, actually."

As for allegations of unpaid tax, Hogan contends that he's done his fair share to fill the Australian treasury.

"I've paid more than every cent I owe, I paid too much, I paid tax there when I didn't have to," Hogan said. "If everyone paid as much tax as me, we'd be the richest country in the world."

Hogan can tell ATO exactly what he thinks in September, when he returns home to make a movie (The Caretakers, perhaps?). "I'll be arrested the minute I land on the shore, of course, but I have a gun; so be warned," he joked.

Read more about the investigation, and additional comments from Hogan, in this story from The Australian.