…so doing the right things is the easiest thing.
We aspire to a future where tax just happens, obligations are met with confidence, interactions are simple, and people spend less time on tax.
Today, some people find engaging with their tax stressful or confusing. They are not always sure what they need to do, or when. This uncertainty can lead to requests for guidance and support. Others continue to use paper forms, which can create delays, manual handling and errors. Supporting taxpayers and their advisers by offering clear information and guidance at the right times can simplify the experience.
We’ve already transformed the experience for most salary and wage earners through pre-fill and digital services like the ATO app, enabling fast, confident lodgment for the majority. Our focus now is delivering similar improvements for the business experience, while further empowering individuals and their advisers to self-serve with confidence with appropriate support for those unable to fully engage digitally.
We’re digitalising tax by design
We’ll embed tax into the systems people already use, designing experiences that are simpler, intentional, and accessible from the outset.
Clear, upfront guidance and prompts from registration onwards will help business owners meet their obligations more easily, freeing time to focus on what matters most to them. This will shift the business tax system to one where tax just happens, reducing compliance costs and supporting compliance by default.
With enhanced automation and increased pre-fill, we’ll support more taxpayers and their advisers to confidently self-serve and self-assess, reducing unnecessary contact. This will free us to focus our support on those who need it most, including people experiencing vulnerability or facing barriers to digital engagement.
Shifts in action
1.1 Making tax just happen for business
by embedding compliance into business systems and supporting new businesses with timely guidance and prompts – so taxpayers understand and meet their obligations from the start.
1.2 Driving digital uptake and enablement
through defined channels and supporting taxpayers and their advisers to self-serve – so paper, calls and manual handling are significantly reduced.
1.3 Exploring simplified deductions
including investigating ways to standardise, automate and validate – so reporting and lodgment are faster, easier and more accurate.
We are shifting from disjointed interactions, often prompting contact with the ATO, to supported self-service and assessment in the channels taxpayers use, resulting in taxpayers meeting their obligations by default.