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  • Our services and your rights – easier to read information

    How to use this document

    This information is written in an easier to read way.

    This document has been written by the Australian Taxation Office. This is called ATO for short.

    When you see the words 'we', 'us' or 'our' it means the ATO.

    This is a shorter version of a longer document called the Taxpayers' Charter.

    You can find the longer document at www.ato.gov.au/charter

    Our services

    In the tax and super system there are

    The rules we have to follow

    We must be fair

    We will treat you well.

    We will respect everyone in the community.

    We trust you to be honest

    We trust what you say is true.

    We will give you some time to tell us about any mistakes.

    We will help you

    We will answer your questions.

    We will explain our answers and decisions.

    If you think we made a mistake

    If you do not agree with a decision you can

    • get someone else to check
    • make a complaint.

    If you complain

    We will

    • try to work out the problem
    • tell you how long we will take.

    Support

    You can ask someone to help you when you talk to us.

    Or you can ask someone to talk to us.

    You must tell us who is helping you.

    It is important you ask someone you trust.

    You can ask a family member or someone who has a job helping people with tax.

    Your information

    We will keep your personal information safe.

    We can update your personal information in our records.

    Information we have about you

    You can ask to see the information we have about you.

    Sometimes we will not be allowed to show you.

    We will tell you the information we use when we make decisions.

    Decisions

    When making decisions about you we will tell you

    • what you need to do
    • what we need to do
    • how long we will take.

    Help

    We will try to help you understand tax and super.

    We will try to make our services easy to use.

    If you do not understand you can contact us or someone who has a job helping people with tax.

    The rules you have to follow

    Tell the truth

    You need to

    • tell us the truth
    • answer our questions
    • give us all the information we ask for.

    Keep records

    You must keep records about your tax and super.

    The records must be in English or able to be made into English easily.

    You must keep the records for 5 years.

    Be careful

    Make sure you have the right information.

    Do things to the best of your ability.

    If you are not sure ask for help.

    Meet due dates

    Sometimes you have to do something by a date.

    You might need to give us information or money.

    If you cannot you must tell us before that date.

    Treat our staff well

    We will treat you well.

    Please treat our staff well.

    Contact us

    To talk to us, phone 13 28 61.

    Contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50 if you want information in your language.

    If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability you can use the National Relay ServiceExternal Link.

    Last modified: 28 Jun 2022QC 62933