ATO Reports Improved GST Cash Collections for 2020-21 Period

Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is reporting improved goods and services tax cash collections for the 2020-21 period. According to the recently released GST administration annual performance report 2020-21, net GST cash collections, including Department of Home Affairs collections of $4.8 billion,…

Tax Professionals Issued Client Verification Guidelines By ATO

Following consultations with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB), the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has developed client verification guidelines to help tax professionals ensure consistency and alignment. The ATO has recommended that the guidelines be utilised alongside the TPB Practice Note (PN) 5/2022 that covers Proof Of Identity Requirements For Client…

Tax Organisations Urged To Better Safeguard Client Information

Recent research by tech firm Tenable indicates that cybersecurity incidents increased during 2021. According to their findings, over 40 billion records were exposed from 1,825 data breach incidents. More than double the 730 incidents identified in 2020. Of the incidents in 2021, 236 occurred within APAC, resulting in the exposure…

Audit Shield claims statistics update

Every accountant knows that reviews or audits of your client’s tax returns or financial compliance obligations can sometimes be unavoidable. When an audit hits, this is rarely a reflection of the work put into preparing the return and is more often due to a specific crackdown by the Australian Taxation…

ATO In The Spotlight Over ‘Super Rip-Off’ Of Queensland Workers

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has come under heavy criticism following a report by Industry Super Australia (ISA) that revealed high levels of unpaid super debt. According to ISA analysis, in the 2018-19 period, an estimated $940 million in superannuation was not paid to over 570,000 Queensland workers. This represents…

ATO Report Lauds Corporates for Tax Compliance

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has just released its 7th annual report on corporate tax transparency for the 2019-20 income year. The report indicates that voluntary tax compliance by the corporate segment has improved. According to ATO Deputy Commissioner, Rebecca Saint, corporates are placing a higher value on becoming tax…

Deadline Reached for Compassionate Release of Super Funds

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has announced that the deadline for the compassionate release of superannuation funds this year was 10 December 2021. Applications submitted after this date will likely be assessed from January 2022. The ATO has confirmed that their offices will close for the holidays on 24 December…

ATO Reports $33.5 Billion Tax Gap

The Australian Tax office (ATO) has reported a 7.3% tax gap between what was supposed to be collected in the 2018-19 financial year versus what was collesmallcted. This has amounted to an estimated $33.5 billion tax loss, the bulk of which has been attributed to small businesses and individuals. Small…

ATO Doubts New Cryptocurrency Investors Record-Keeping Ability

During the recent 14th International ATAX Conference on Tax Administration, Commissioner of Taxation, Chris Jordan, voiced concern that many new investors in cryptocurrencies were not fully cognizant of their tax obligations. New investors were of particular concern as they could not be relied upon to navigate the complexities of income…