BAS agent – Registered BAS agent, McKenzie Business Services

Ita Mckenzie

‘I work closely with my clients. I am a professional who has Certificate IV qualifications and using that knowledge and my experience, I seek to ensure the best ways to help business meet their obligations. In doing so I work closely with ATO staff to resolve concerns or disputes in a timely manner to achieve pragmatic outcomes. I use SBR enabled software to interact with the ATO.’

After building a successful business as a BAS agent in Brisbane, I chose to relocate. Technology has opened more doors for how I can run my business and that’s helped me strike a better work/life balance too.

I set up my business so that I could work with local and remote clients, and work the hours I wanted, in the way I wanted. I gained efficiencies by using state of the art technology for information acquisition, processing, verification and lodgment.

I am an active member of my professional association and am qualified to provide expert service to my clients. They don’t have the time and sometimes the capability, to be appropriately managing their financial affairs, including their BAS obligations. Time out of their day means money, it’s their livelihood.

For many of my clients, I am a great translator since I understand their business and they authorise me to act on their behalf as their business and financial administrator. I help them with their day-to-day compliance (especially payroll and GST) and also act as the liaison between them and their tax agent.

I support those who want to be digital by showing them how they can manage their business, review their accounts or access information using their own computers. It is great that we can access the same information despite being in different locations.

While some of my clients are tech savvy, others look to me to do all of the digital interactions. I manage their individual and business profiles, and use their business software to interact on their behalf with the ATO.

Over the past few years I’ve been working with the ATO to transition my paper based clients to digital business systems. One day I got a call from an ATO officer. They had noticed that I was a local agent managing most of the clients’ software. They wanted to help me, and the local community, by running virtual information sessions. The sessions were just as good as face-to-face and we assisted business to understand their BAS and obligations. It was great for the ATO to be involved and really helped me get the best outcome for my clients.

What the ATO does

• We understand that local professionals have valuable ties to the community and can help us to engage with clients in valuable ways.
• We accept that we do not always have to be the service provider.
• We understand that sometimes business don’t need to be digital themselves if they use a tax agent that is.

How the ATO behaves

• We have a service focus.
• We build trusted relationships.
• We collaborate without boundaries.
• We continuously simplify and improve the way we do things.
• We strive to make a difference.