We work with a broad range of external stakeholders to effectively manage and shape the tax, superannuation and registry systems that support and fund services for Australians. Our stakeholders provide input and feedback to improve these systems and help us respond to changes in our operating environment.
Our relationships are built and maintained through consultation forums, established partnerships and memorandums of understanding.
The ATO does not have any subsidiaries.
Our stakeholder relationships
Government
We work across government to ensure our administration is effective and to facilitate best practice APS approaches. We do this through multiple forums, with a focus on building a more agile and effective public service. We work productively with Treasury, providing insights to support the design of tax legislative measures and explanatory materials. We exchange data with other agencies to deliver improved services, and work with state and territory revenue offices to collect and administer particular taxes. We also collaborate with other regulatory and law enforcement agencies to build our capability, identify fraudulent behaviour and protect the community from criminal activity. We have a role in the Chief Operating Officers Committee, which reports to the Secretaries Board, supporting consistent delivery of government policies.
Scrutineers
Our relationships with scrutineers – who are appointed by government – foster transparency and underpin community and government confidence in our administration. The professional and cooperative relationships we have with the Australian National Audit Office, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Parliamentary Committees and Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity continuously improve our administration.
Industry and community
Our relationships with industry and the public we serve are paramount to achieving our purpose. We work with representatives across the community, business, tax, superannuation and financial sectors to harness their specialist knowledge and experience through our stewardship, stakeholder relationship and special purpose working groups, social media interactions, surveys and other research activities. Our partnerships with digital service providers deliver fit-for-purpose services that enable intermediaries, businesses, superannuation funds and individuals to easily interact with us. We also liaise with third-party data providers, including banks, employers, online platforms and share registries, to collect information to support registration and reporting, identify fraud and recover debt.
International partnerships
International partnerships play an integral role to ensure we can act when people attempt to use jurisdictional borders to block our effective administration. As a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Forum on Tax Administration (FTA), Australia collaborates internationally with member countries to build effective tax administrations, including sharing our recognised expertise and best practice, to increase the fairness, efficiency and effectiveness of tax administration globally. We work with governments and organisations around the world to assist with building the capacity of other revenue administrations so that they can meet obligations under the international tax framework, increase their domestic resource mobilisation, and promote stronger economic governance. Through our participation in FTA forums, including the Taskforce on Tax Crime and our leadership of the Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence and Collaboration, we help identify, discuss and influence relevant trends and to develop new ideas to enhance tax administrations around the world. We are also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement, sharing intelligence and conducting joint operations to combat cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, and facilitators of offshore tax crime.