ATO Reaches Agreement With Tax Agents

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

05 September 2002

It emerged on Tuesday that a tentative agreement has been reached between the Australian Taxation Office and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia and other accounting industry bodies over the way in which the ATO deals with tax agents.

The ICAA had promised an 'electronic go-slow' if its concerns were not addressed, and although Chief Executive, Stephen Harrison welcomed the agreement, he has stressed that it does not necessarily mean that planned strike action will be called to a halt. Speaking to the Australian Financial Review earlier this week, Mr Harrison explained that:

'The institute does not retreat from our support for 'work to regulations' by our members during the next lodgement period if delivery of these initiatives is not vigorously pursued. [We] have consulted for years with the ATO without seeing fundamental change so we still need to be convinced this latest commitment...will be delivered with the necessary pace and priority.'

In response to complaints from tax practitioners, the ATO has promised to appoint a senior officer to coordinate the provision of assistance to tax agents, to re-examine the structure of the lodgment programme, to ensure that more expert staff man its telephone helplines, and to release performance statistics on its levels of service on the internet.

Tax agents are also to be offered the chance to speak to a regular tax officer within the ATO, in order to fill the gap left by the removal of tax agent liaisons, following the introduction of the new tax system.

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