Tash Peterson’s finances in the spotlight at defamation trial
A defamation lawsuit against a notorious vegan activist has exposed the vast amount of money she makes from OnlyFans.
Tash Peterson makes so much money posting half-dressed photos of herself that she is among the top 4 per cent of earners on the platform, the WA Supreme Court has heard.
The court was told Ms Peterson earned more than $400,000 in the 2021-2022 financial year but reported only $70,000 in business income to the Australian Taxation Office.
When her bank statements were mentioned in court, she could only point to one $100 donation to an animal charity, the Western Australian reported.
Ms Peterson, her boyfriend Jack Higgs and her company V-Gan Booty are being sued by the owners of Bicton Veterinary Clinic over a video they posted on social media in September 2021 accusing the clinic of promoting “animal slavery”.
A lawsuit against infamous vegan activist Tash Peterson (pictured) has exposed the vast amount of money she makes from OnlyFans and how little she appears to give to animal rights causes
Ms Peterson (pictured) makes so much money by posting half-dressed photos of herself on OnlyFans that she is in the top 4 per cent of earners, the WA Supreme Court has heard
Dr. Kay McIntosh and her husband Andrew claim the video damaged their reputation and that Ms Peterson and Mr Higgs made the video to gain publicity and make money.
They claim Ms Peterson used her vegan stunts to get people to sign up for her OnlyFans account and pay her for access to her risqué photos.
The video, which still remains on Ms. Peterson’s social media account, also accused Dr. McIntosh of being an “animal abuser” who “eats her own patients.”
Chief Justice Peter Quinlan said he had discovered there was another piece of evidence showing V-Gan Booty had filed a 2021-2022 tax return worth $267,000.
The court heard the tax return was prepared by Ms Peterson’s accountant.
Martin Bennett, the McIntoshs’ lawyer, said about $130,000 was still “missing” from that financial year.
V-Gan Booty was set up in December 2021 on the advice of Ms Peterson’s accountant, because of the money she made from her OnlyFans account, which was set up about seven months earlier.
Mr. Bennett suggested that the increase in subscribers coincided with high-profile stunts that Ms. Peterson performed, including at luxury retailers Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
The court was told Ms Peterson (pictured) earned more than $400,000 in the 2021-2022 financial year but only declared $70,000 in business income to the Australian Taxation Office – although this figure was later disputed
Ms. Peterson disagreed, saying the surge in subscriptions came after a video about her OnlyFans account was posted to YouTube.
Although the activist could only identify one definitive donation to an animal rights organization on her bank statement, she said she also used a PayPal account to make donations.
Some of the payments on her bank statement included vouchers for the purchase of a new car, a holiday in Italy, the transfer of money to her boyfriend and a ‘jet ski loan’ to her father and brother, the court heard.
The case continues in the WA Supreme Court.