This is a standing agenda item to provide members with an opportunity to:
- raise issues of concern or provide feedback to the ATO about taxation and superannuation administration
- identify any topics for consideration at future meetings.
As there were no specific issues raised prior to the meeting, the following items of general business were discussed.
ATO consultative forum governance
As advised earlier in the meeting, the ATO advised that it is considering the amalgamation of several of its small business consultation forums, the Small Business Advisory Group and the Micro Business Partnership. Reflecting the current constraints on the ATO's operating budget, this would be a more efficient and practical approach from an ATO perspective. The ATO also noted that both forums often discussed similar topics and issues, albeit that the Small Business Advisory Group had a more hands-on focus in relation to specific ATO products and strategies.
Members of the Small Business Advisory Group attending the meeting considered that there would be synergies resulting from merging the forums due to the broader membership base of the Micro Business Partnership, the opportunity it would afford the ATO to be more strategic in its small business focus, and as a result of raising the profile of the small business sector within the ATO. They confirmed the similarity of topics and discussions at both forums, the only note of caution being around ensuring that the size of the merged group was too large to be workable.
Micro Business Partnership members also supported the proposal to merge the groups. Noting that the use of the terms "micro" and 'home business' is diminishing, it was suggested that the merged group be called the 'Small Business Partnership'. Reflecting on the positive discussion about the proposed merger at the meeting, co-Chair John Leonard indicated that after communicating with members of the Small Business Advisory Group, the ATO will progress the implementation of a single small business forum with a view to the first meeting of the merged groups being held in early 2012.
Members attending the meeting were invited to comment on the operation, relevance and effectiveness of the Micro Business Partnership as part of the ATO's annual review of it consultation forums. The following feedback was provided:
- the current arrangement of three one-day meetings per calendar year was considered to be appropriate, although there was a suggestion to hold meetings over two days instead of one
- the documentation provided by the ATO to support meetings and the forum was seen as satisfactory
- the monthly email newsletter distributed to forum members is being on-distributed to constituents of member organisations, and its format facilitates re-broadcasting - it was also noted that some members had received good feedback from this
- key following key achievements of the forum were highlighted as:
- the opportunity for members to have open and frank discussion with the ATO - discussions are constructive and the ATO is perceived to be genuinely listening to and consulting with members
- very good quality of information provided at meetings with particular reference to overview materials provided at meetings
- the opportunity for members to raise issues of concern to them or their members to meetings, and have the ATO address these and report back on the outcome - this was viewed very positively, as these issues impact on many small businesses
- information gleaned by members at meetings, which improves their understanding of the tax and superannuation system and compliance issues
- the opportunity for cross-pollination of information.
- Suggested areas of focus for meetings in the 2012 calendar year included:
- the government agenda
- the involvement of a Treasury representative
- a watching brief/update on the economy and how it was impacting on revenue collections, debt and rates of tax.
ATO Online Small Business Forum
As briefly mentioned at the August 2011 meeting, an ATO Online Small Business forum is currently being piloted. Co-chair Adrian Preston-Loh advised members that the forum went live on 21 September 2011 and currently has several hundred registered users.
The online forum offers micro businesses and their representative associations a chance to share their views and experiences in meeting their tax and superannuation obligations, and the opportunity to learn from other small businesses facing similar challenges.
Forum activities to date include surveys on record keeping and tax debt, Live Chats about the impact of GST and other indirect taxes on small businesses and the cash economy, and a webinar (with several more planned shortly).
Property page on www.ato.gov.au
The ATO recently launched a property webpage on www.ato.gov.au where taxpayers and businesses can easily access property information in one location. It can be accessed at www.ato.gov.au/property .
The page was developed as part of the ATO's ongoing effort to improve taxpayers' understanding of their obligations relating to property transactions. It is intended to provide practical guidance and easy access to all the ATO's property-related information, including:
- income tax
- capital gains tax
- goods and services tax
- residential rental properties
- property used in running a business
- property development
- building and renovating.
An interactive GST property tool is also included to assist businesses to correctly treat and report GST on property sales and other transactions.
ATO's Compliance Program 2011-12
The ATO is inviting members to provide feedback about its Compliance Program 2011-12 to enhance future programs. An email was recently distributed to members and any comments can be provided to the Secretariat.
AUSkey and web browser compatibility
At the last meeting AUSkey browser compatibility was discussed.
The ATO advised that updated information about AUSkey-supported browsers is now available on the AUSkey web site at www.abr.gov.au (under the technical information page).
Where there are known compatibility issues with AUSkey these are addressed through Frequently Asked Questions and other instructional advice. AUSkey compatibility-type issues are usually caused by Java rather than operating systems or browsers. Sometimes issues may be resolved by switching browsers, because each type of browser behaves and reacts differently in the operating environment, but this is not necessarily a compatibility issue with the browser.
If any further compatibility issues are experienced, the specific details and circumstances can be emailed to the Secretariat for referral to the relevant area for investigation and consideration of how best to support users.
Future agenda topics
The following topics were noted for consideration as agenda items at future meetings:
- information matching
- superannuation changes
- ATO media strategy
- demonstration of the ATO's online curriculum resource, Tax, Super + You
- early retirees going into business
- online trading
- personal services income.
Other business
Members were invited to table any issues relating to taxation or superannuation administration without notice, and the following concern was raised.
- The impact of payment channels on debt payment arrangements
A concern was raised about payment channels and the impact of these on adhering to tax debt repayment plans. In the particular instance discussed, a payment made using BPAY was not credited until the date of receipt by the ATO, which resulted in the default of a debt repayment plan. However it was commented that if the same payment had been made at a post office, it would have been credited on the date it was actually paid.
A significant amount of work was involved to get the payment plan reinstated, including lodging a complaint with the ATO.
The ATO Debt representative on the forum agreed to follow-up this issue out of session.
For further information about payment options, refer to How to pay.
Sections within Agenda items
Last Modified: Friday, 24 February 2012