Warning: This information may not apply to the current year. Check the content carefully to ensure it is applicable to your circumstances.
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This publication is available free from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The ATO prohibits any party from selling it. We regularly revise our publications to take account of changes to the law.
If you have an enquiry relating to your circumstances which this publication does not cover, phone the Personal Tax Infoline on 13 28 61 or get help from a tax adviser.
The information in this publication is current at June 2003 and we have made every effort to ensure it is accurate. As part of our commitment to produce accurate publications you will not be subject to penalties if you can demonstrate that you relied on something in this publication that was wrong or misleading. You may have to pay a general interest charge on omitted income or over-claimed deductions and tax offsets, depending on the circumstances of your case.
Self-assessment means the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) uses the information you give on your tax return to work out your refund or tax bill. You are required by law to make sure you have shown all your assessable income and claimed only the deductions and tax offsets to which you are entitled.
Even if someone else –including a tax agent –helps you to prepare your tax return, you are still legally responsible for the accuracy of your information.
Our systems continually check for missing, inaccurate or incomplete information. We have audit programs designed to detect where taxpayers have not declared all their assessable income or where they have incorrectly claimed deductions or tax offsets. If you become aware that your tax return is incorrect, you must contact us straight away.
There are a number of initiatives administered by the ATO which complement self-assessment. Examples include:
- a change in penalty provisions so that, if you take reasonable care with your tax affairs, you will not receive a penalty for honest mistakes –but please note that a general interest charge on omitted income or over-claimed deductions and tax offsets could still be payable
- the process for applying for private rulings
- your entitlement to interest on early payment or over-payment of a tax debt, and
- the process for applying for an amendment if you find you have left something out of your tax return.
If you have a concern about the way a tax law applies to your personal tax affairs, you may want to ask for a private ruling.
A private ruling will relate just to your situation. Write to the ATO describing your situation in detail and ask for advice. To do this, complete an Application for a private ruling for individuals. You should lodge your tax return by the due date, even if you are waiting for the reply to your private ruling. You may need to request an amendment to your tax return once you have received the private ruling.
The ATO publishes on its website all private rulings issued. What we publish will not contain anything which could identify you.
You can ask for a review of a private ruling decision if you disagree with it, even if you have not received your assessment. Details of the review procedures are sent to you when the private ruling decision is made. For more information on private rulings, visit the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au
Reader feedback helps us to improve the information we provide. If you have any feedback about this publication, please write to:
The Editor
Personal Tax Publishing Group
Australian Taxation Office
PO Box 900
CIVIC SQUARE ACT 2608
As this is a publications area only, any tax matters will be passed on to a technical area; alternatively you can phone our Personal Tax Infoline on 13 28 61 for help.
To get any publication referred to in this book:
- visit our website at www.ato.gov.au
- phone our Publications Distribution Service on 1300 720 092 for the cost of a local call, or
- visit an ATO office or ATOaccess site.
All our publications are free. Publications referred to in this book include:
If you are looking for an easy and convenient way to do your tax return, look no further than e-tax 2003. It is available free from the Australian Taxation Office. e-tax can estimate items such as capital gains and your tax refund or tax debt. e-tax allows you to complete your tax return confidentially and at your leisure, seven days a week. Tax returns lodged using e-tax generally take only 14 days to process. e-tax is available for use from 1 July 2003. For more information on e-tax, visit the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au
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Last Modified: Monday, 4 December 2006
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