Information Publication Scheme

Introduction

Australia’s tax and superannuation systems are community assets. We firmly believe that access to information enhances transparency and leads to increased levels of trust and respect.

The Australian Information Commissioner has noted that the reforms to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) promote a pro-disclosure culture across government and builds a stronger foundation for greater openness and transparency in government.

In addition, the Information Publication Scheme (IPS) aims to transform the freedom of information framework from one that responds to individual requests for access to documents to one that requires Commonwealth agencies to take a proactive approach to publishing information.

In the ATO context, to ensure more of our information is publicly available you can now access on this website our:

Over time we will be expanding our IPS entry to include more of the guidance and tools we use to make decisions or recommendations.

We are interested in your feedback on this website, particularly regarding our agency plan, and you may wish to subscribe to this website to be informed of updates.

IPS agency plan

The object of the FOI Act is to give the Australian community broad access to information held by the government by proactively publishing certain information, and giving citizens a right of access to government held documents.

The ATO Information Publication Scheme (IPS) agency plan provides guidance in planning and maintaining our IPS entry. The plan supports our value of being open and accountable.

Who we are

This includes information on the way the ATO is organised such as its organisational structure, ATO Executive Committee members including the Commissioner of Taxation.

Organisational structure
Describes ATO reporting structures including sub-plans, management arrangements that include the ATO organisational chart and details about the ATO business and service lines.
ATO Executive Committee
Introduces the ATO Executive Committee members and the committee charter.

What we do

This includes information about our functions, decision making powers and operational information that assist us in making decisions or recommendations affecting members of the public:

About us
Summarises the ATO's role.
Year in review
Summarises the ATO's performance last year.
The Australian Taxation Office - today and tomorrow
Links to our corporate DVD which highlights how we work to make tax and super obligations easier, and how we educate and interact with the community.
Strategic statement
Outlines our vision for the future and how we will work with the community and government in the years ahead.
ATO corporate plan
Outlines, at a high level, the priority work we intend to do as an agency this financial year.
Taxpayers' charter - what you need to know
Sets out your rights and obligations and what you can expect when dealing with us. It also sets out what you can do if you are not satisfied with our decisions or actions.
Laws conferring powers on the Commissioner of Taxation
Lists the main tax and super laws conferring powers or functions on the Commissioner of Taxation.
Supporting government and other agencies
Describes the support provided to other Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments. (See section 'Working with government and other agencies')

Operational information

The ATO holds information that assists us to perform or exercise the functions or powers in making decisions or recommendations. We are progressively publishing key operational information. Current information is available on our Operational information web page.

Our reports and responses to parliament

The ATO routinely provides the following information to parliament in response to requests and orders from the parliament:

Annual reports
Provides links to current and previous annual reports.
Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA)
Provides links to recent submissions by the Commissioner to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA).
Senate Order No 8: Production of departmental file lists also known as Senate Procedural Orders of Continuing Effect No. 10
Contains file lists which are tabled before parliament and make the operations of government more transparent to the Australian public.
ATO contracts - Senate order
Lists contracts entered into by the ATO.
Appendix 10: Advertising, direct mail, media placement and market research
Lists contracts for advertising, direct mail, media placement and market research.

Routinely requested information and disclosure log

Our FOI disclosure log lists those documents released under freedom of information (FOI) access requests which are publicly available. You will find there a summary of the disclosure log entries which relate to information to which the ATO has given access more than once in response to FOI requests.

Consultation arrangements

The ATO recognises the important role of the community as owners of Australia's taxation and superannuation systems. Accordingly, we consult widely with taxpayers, business and professional associations.

ATO consultative forums
Provides access to detailed information about our consultative forums. This includes forums for taxpayers, business and professional associations.
Tax Issues Entry System
Provides an opportunity for you to raise issues relating to the care and maintenance of the Australian Government's tax and superannuation systems.

Our priorities

This includes additional corporate information relating to our existing and future priorities, information technology and business transformation initiative and business research:

Compliance program
Outlines approaches, compliance risks and treatments.
Change program essentials
Provides information on the easier, cheaper and more personalised change program.
Project Wickenby
Outlines Project Wickenby including activities, results, participating agencies and how you can make a voluntary disclosure.
Our service standards
Outlines the service standards you can expect when you deal with us and our performance.
Our research
Details results of some recent research from surveys, product testing and user research.

Our finances

This includes additional financial information relating to our financial records, procurement procedures and tendering:

Tenders and procurement
Provides information about ATO tenders, contracts and other procurement related matters.
Our financial statements
Links to our audited financial statements.

Our lists

This includes additional lists of grants, media information and tax data:

Discretionary grants and sponsorship
Details the grants issued by the ATO in accordance with the Commonwealth Grant Guidelines.
Newsroom
Lists ATO media releases, speeches, Commissioner’s online updates and letters to the editor.
data.gov.au
Links to available ATO datasets on data.gov.au
Our statistics centre
Lists information from a variety of sources that can be used to produce statistics.
Taxation statistics: 100 people
Provides a representation of the millions of tax returns the ATO receives as 100 people.
Your case matters
Tax and super litigation trends 1 July 2007 to 29 February 2012.

Subscribe to updates

If you are a regular reader of this document you can subscribe to this content by selecting 'Corporate' under Free Email Updates.

More information

If you require more information:

refer to

email FOI@ato.gov.au
phone 1300 300 595.

Information about access for people with disability can be provided by FOI officers at our branch offices.

Callers outside capital cities may phone 13 28 69 and ask for the FOI unit.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Our commitment to you

We are committed to providing you with accurate, consistent and clear information to help you understand your rights and entitlements and meet your obligations.

If you follow our information and it turns out to be incorrect, or it is misleading and you make a mistake as a result, we will take that into account when determining what action, if any, we should take.

Some of the information on this website applies to a specific financial year. This is clearly marked. Make sure you have the information for the right year before making decisions based on that information.

If you feel that our information does not fully cover your circumstances, or you are unsure how it applies to you, contact us or seek professional advice.

Copyright

You are free to copy, adapt, modify, transmit and distribute this material as you wish (but not in any way that suggests the ATO or the Commonwealth endorses you or any of your services or products)