Tax agents’ update on the Tax Office

THE House Tax Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow with tax advisory bodies. The hearing will set the scene for the Committee’s public hearing with the Commissioner of Taxation and the Inspector-General of Taxation on Wednesday, 24 February 2016.

The ATO is working with tax agents on several IT initiatives. For example, the ATO is maintaining current systems for longer to help tax agents change to new platforms; and has agreed to improve its IT systems to help tax agents and their clients.

However, tax groups have also raised concerns. These include:

• how soon the ATO will make promised improvements to its systems
• whether pre-filled data is accurate
• whether ATO actions will interfere with the agent-client relationship
• whether the new standard business reporting system will handle increased demand in Tax Time 2016.

The Committee Chair, Mr van Manen, said, “The ATO is a lead agency in the Governments’ drive to be more efficient and provide better services online. We support the ATO’s work here. But the ATO needs to effectively involve the tax community and ensure changes meet their needs. We look forward to their views and their suggestions for improvements.”

The hearing will discuss other topics in tax, including the cash economy, the ATO’s standards of customer service, the tax gap, and changes in how the ATO manages tax disputes.

Public hearing program
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Committee Room 1R1
Parliament House, Canberra

Time
4.10 pm – 5.30 pm

Organisations
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Council of Small Business Australia, CPA Australia, the Institute of Public Accountants, and the Tax Institute.

For media comment: please contact Jessica Reid on 0437 731 858.

For information about the inquiry: please contact the committee secretariat by telephone (02) 6277 4821 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the committee website www.aph.gov.au/taxrev

Live broadcast: go to www.aph.gov.au/live

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