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Media Releases

Latest media releases and resources from IGTO.

Showing 1-5 out of 112 results

Posted 31 October 2024

The newly appointed Inspector-General of Taxation, Ruth Owen, has recommended changes to make it faster and simpler for all taxpayers to lodge an objection with the ATO.  

The Inspector-General’s report highlights 4 areas of improvement: 

  • increasing accessibility by extending online lodgement to all taxpayers 
  • streamlining processes to reduce time and resources devoted to high volume, low risk objections  
  • increasing taxpayer engagement to speed up the time taken to complete an objection  
  • learning lessons from objections to prevent the number of objections needing to be made. 

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Posted 30 April 2024

– Calls for the ATO to improve its administration of taxpayer banking details and refunds to combat TaxID fraud

– IGTO interim (Phase 1) report into TaxID fraud makes 13 recommendations

The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) commenced an own-motion investigation into Tax identification (TaxID) fraud on 15 December 2023.  This was in response to an increase in complaints and dispute investigations concerning TaxID fraud received by the IGTO.

The IGTO makes thirteen (13) recommendations for ATO improvement in this interim (Phase 1) report The importance of bank account integrity.

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Posted 20 December 2023

Aiming to improve tax law certainty for taxpayers without delay via CRP

The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO), Ms Karen Payne, has today publicly released her report and recommendations following her office’s investigation into The Administration of the Commissioner’s Remedial Power (CRP). 

Since March 2017, the Commissioner of Taxation has had a statutory power – the Commissioner’s Remedial Power (CRP) – to modify the operation of certain taxation law provisions that give rise to unintended or unforeseen outcomes. 

The report examines this important power and discretion vested in the Commissioner of Taxation – that is the Commissioner’s ability to temporarily modify tax laws where it produces results which are unintended or unforeseen until a more permanent, legislative resolution can be implemented. In addition to providing improved timeliness and greater certainty for taxpayers, the measure was also intended to reduce the pressures on the law reform agenda.

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Posted 15 December 2023

IGTO seeks to know if you have been a victim of identity and/or financial fraud that is committed through the tax system – or know someone who has been?

The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) is concerned about ongoing media reports of increasing instances of tax identity and financial fraud.

Our Office has held recent discussions with complainants and tax practitioners confirming taxpayers have been experiencing heightened instances of identity and financial fraud in relation to their tax affairs and accounts. This includes those relating to the ATO’s systems and processes to address these issues. As a result, the IGTO has commenced an ‘own initiative investigation’ into the important area of Tax Identity Fraud.

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