Reinvention of the ATO on track

THE Tax and Revenue Committee today tabled its first report for its inquiry into the 2014 Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Annual Report.

The report outlines a range of topics including: the ATO’s relationship with taxpayers; the administration of the ATO; and compliance strategies. The report commends the ATO for its progress establishing its strategic direction and the steps it has taken, and continues to take, to ‘reinvent’ the client and staff experience to change the culture of the ATO.

Committee Chair, Bert van Manen MP, said that the ATO has made good progress towards achieving its goal of being valuable, relevant and trusted by the Australian people.

“I am particularly impressed with the ATO’s clear strategic direction and its commitment to meaningful performance indicators. A clear strategic direction and robust performance measurement and reporting are key elements of an efficient and transparent tax administration,” he said.

The committee commended the incorporation of modern technology into the ATO’s systems in its efforts to improve both the accuracy of tax information and the taxpayer experience. For example, the ATO is introducing Single Touch Payroll, Standard Business Reporting and no-touch tax returns. 

The Chair said that the taxation system relies on the Australian people’s trust that the system is fair and equitable.

“Non-compliance, such as demonstrated by those operating within the cash economy, robs the Australian people of much needed revenue. It also disadvantages honest and hard-working Australians who are doing the right thing. More must be done to tackle non-compliance,” Mr van Manen said.

The report listed a number of key areas that the committee will discuss at its next hearing for its second report into the 2014 ATO Annual report in late 2015.

The report can be found on the committee website: http://www.aph.gov.au/taxrev.

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