Systemic review of the effectiveness of the ATO’s registered agent phone line.

STATUS: Open for submissions until 28 March 2025.

The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman is investigating the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) registered agent phone line in response to increased reports of dissatisfaction with the service. Registered tax and BAS agents and their professional bodies and associations across Australia can share their feedback, insights and ideas for improvement online and in person as part of the review.

Why are we investigating?

Registered tax agents lodged 62% of all individual tax returns in 2022-23, and 96% of organisational tax returns. The ATO encourages registered agents to use its online services but, with 65% of agents reporting problems, there is still a strong demand for their dedicated registered agent phone line. Agents using the phone line report more dissatisfaction with the service, saying it has long wait time, is inconsistent and doesn’t give them confidence they are getting the right answers when they call.

An audit of the ATO’s engagement with tax practitioners by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in 2022-23 also examined the registered agent phone line and recommended that the ATO ‘consult with tax practitioners to better understand their concerns regarding the registered agent phone line and use this feedback to guide the development of future service offerings’.

This review will look into the differences between what registered agents expect and what the ATO provides, as well as how the ATO is consulting with them, to make recommendations on how the service can be improved.

What are we investigating?

Based on the concerns raised though our complaint investigation service and our engagements with registered agents, the review will look at:

  • why there is a mismatch between what agents want from the registered agent phone line and what the ATO provides
  • the skills, training and support for ATO officers working on the phone line and what improvements could be made
  • whether registered agent phone line service standards align with agents’ expectations and whether they are being met
  • whether the registered agent phone line service support for the new client-agent linking service is adequate and fit for purpose.

We will also look at how the ATO has implemented the ANAO recommendation to consult with tax practitioners about the improvements to the registered agent phone line.

How can you get involved?

We encourage registered agents to get involved and we welcome input and contributions. You can take part in several ways.

Feedback forums

The Inspector-General will be hosting informal feedback forums to gain information and insights from registered agents and practitioners. Comments will be collected and analysed for themes and areas of interest; individuals will not be named or cited. 

Online forums have been scheduled in the time zones for each capital city to make it easier for you to join from there, but you can join any session from anywhere in Australia.

Survey

Registered tax agents can complete a short survey online as part of the review. You will be asked for your name and registration number when completing the survey. This information will only be used to confirm your identity and status as a registered agent. It will not be used as part of the review, shared with anyone outside the review team, or published in the final report.

Complete the survey online now

Submissions

Formal submissions will be accepted until 28 March 2025. You can make a formal submission to the review online, by email or by post. We encourage you to review the terms of reference when making a formal submission, although we welcome all submissions in any format.

Make a submission online now.

Submit by email to [email protected]

Send postal submissions to: Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman, GPO Box 551 SYDNEY NSW 2001

As we expect a large number of submissions, we will only accept phone submissions by invitation or specific request.

Professional bodies

The professional bodies representing agents will be directly engaged with the IGTO review team. We encourage all agents to get involved, but you can also rely on your professional body to provide feedback and suggestions on your behalf.

Other research

We will analyse the complaints we have received to see if there are lessons or themes we can draw out that we can use in our recommendations. The details of individual complaints and the people who made them will not be published or shared with anyone outside the IGTO.

We will also conduct research on agent issues and feedback previously raised by representative bodies to previous consultations and in social media channels.

When will we report back?

Submissions will close on 28 March 2025, and we expect to publish our report in June 2025.

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