About us 2010-11

From the Commissioner

2010-11 was another challenging year. However, we did what we set out to do.

We took steps forward in investing in our capabilities, including bedding in our transformational change program and significant base and graduate recruitment. For us it was a year to be proud of and I thank ATO staff, as well as taxpayers, their agents and others in the community who played a part in these achievements.

We will continue to nurture an environment that fosters high levels of proper participation in Australia's tax and superannuation systems.

Who we are

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian Government statutory agency, operating under the Public Service Act 1999 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

The Commissioner of Taxation is responsible for the general administration of a wide range of taxation and superannuation legislation. Under the Australian business number legislation, the Commissioner is also the registrar of the Australian Business Register.

Our role is to effectively manage and shape administrative systems that support and fund services for Australians. This includes five major responsibilities:

• principal revenue collection agency of the Australian Government
• large payer of Australian Government funds
• administrator of major aspects of Australia's superannuation system
• custodian of the Australian Business Register
• business operations of the Australian Valuation Office.

The year in review

• We collected net tax of $273.0 billion compared with $253.2 billion in 2009-10. The total was 4.5% below the 2010-11 budget forecast. It included collecting $45.9 billion in goods and services tax (GST) for the state and territory governments and fully meeting our commitment to them under the GST performance agreement. We paid almost $7.8 billion in transfers and payments.
• We responded to the community's needs, particularly following the devastating natural disasters that struck parts of the country in early 2011. We conducted more than 10,000 business support visits to those affected by floods and cyclone Yasi.
• We also worked to help reunite 1.2 million people with their super, providing funds with more up-to-date addresses for over 500,000 lost members and contacting over 650,000 people with lost super or money held in the superannuation holding account.
• We provided advice and expertise to the government in relation to policy proposals, including super reform, flood levy and resource rent taxes.
• A focus was our continual assistance for small business. We helped 85,000 businesses via our small business assistance program and we maintained our empathetic approach to viable small businesses and individuals experiencing short-term difficulties. We granted deferrals of activity statement payments, full or partial release from payment and had in place more than 41,000 interest-free payment arrangements.
• We matched over 539 million transactions received from third parties to support a range of compliance and service activities, such as pre-filling of returns.

Looking forward

Our ATO corporate plan 2011-12 outlines our focus areas for the year ahead. Our key corporate priorities are:

• implementing the government's legislative program, including the super reforms, the new resource taxation arrangements and the flood levy
• offering practical certainty through annual compliance arrangements, advance pricing agreements, more timely rulings and enhanced relationships
• delivering our commitments to government, including GST commitments to the states and territories, incorporating a focus on fraudulent claims for GST refunds
• sustaining a culture of engagement, productivity and integrity by delivering on our People strategy 2009-12
• leveraging and adapting the use of integrated systems to re-engineer processes and improve productivity and effectiveness.
• We are also scheduling an ongoing program of investment in modern technology with a view to fostering business and community take-up of more efficient and effective online opportunities.

Key performance statistics

Our vision

Australians value their tax and superannuation systems and community assets, where willing participation is recognised as good citizenship.

Our values

We believe instilling strong values in our own people will build trust and community confidence in how we manage Australia's tax and superannuation systems.

Our corporate values guide how we do our work and achieve our outcomes. They are:

• being fair and professional
• applying the rule of law
• supporting people who want to do the right thing and being fair, but firm, with those who don't
• being consultative, collaborative and willing to co-design
• being open and accountable
• being responsive to challenges and opportunities.