ATO applies in Federal Court to wind up Gold Coast company Drip IV Australia over tax debt

Seized products, luxury listings and thousands owing in alleged debt - Gold Coast company Drip IV Australia is embroiled in more controversy.

A besieged Gold Coast company, that provides mobile intravenous vitamins, is facing wind-up action from the Australian Taxation Office.

A besieged Gold Coast company, that provides mobile intravenous vitamins, is facing wind-up action from the Australian Taxation Office.

The ATO applied to the federal court to liquidate Drip IV Australia late last month.

The application comes after the Deputy Commissioner filed a claim seeking payment of $420,880 in alleged outstanding taxes in March.

The federal court hearing is scheduled for May 24.

The Gold Coast Bulletin attempted to contact Drip IV’s sole director Kristie Baird for comment.

The latest legal action follows Ms Baird being ordered to attend court on March 12 over an alleged debt of $154,385 to Adelaide company Infinity Custom Pharmaceuticals.

The matter has been adjourned twice with the latest hearing set for July 16.

It has been a turbulent start to 2024 for Drip IV Australia.

Former staff approached the Bulletin with claims Ms Baird – the 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year, 2022 Business Woman of the Year and 2023 Business News Australia Trailblazer of the Year – owed them thousands in wages and super.

Kristie Baird, sole director of Drip IV Australia. Picture: Kristie Baird Facebook

One staffer claimed they were owed $9000. Another claimed they were owed $3000, a third claimed they were owed $6000 in unpaid wages and unpaid leave, a fourth claimed they were owed one month of pay and a fifth claimed they were owed $11,400 in wages and super.

Former Drip IV New Zealand employee Jesse Hylands claimed he was owed $21,400 after he won an unfair dismissal case with New Zealand’s Employment Relations Authority (ERA) in 2022.

The former New Zealand arm of Drip IV – also run by Ms Baird – was said to be “illegally” using Australian scripts, not signed by a doctor from that country, according to claims stated in ERA documents.

Mr Hylands claimed he was unfairly dismissed after addressing the matter with Ms Baird.

At the time, Drip IV rejected all the claims as “false and damaging” and said it would address all the claims once legal actions were complete.

The company was embroiled in more controversy when the Bulletin revealed a health watchdog had previously seized documents and medications from its former office in Burleigh Heads.

The Gold Coast Public Health Unit confirmed its February 2022 swoop followed a formal complaint.

The unit would not reveal the result of the now-closed investigation, but confirmed it had taken documents and medicines through its powers under the Medicines and Poisons Act.

This revelation came as Ms Baird took to Facebook Marketplace to sell a stack of luxury goods – including a $119,000 Range Rover.