The ATO welcomes input that assists the ATO in continuing to improve administrative decision-making and our support for vulnerable members of the community.
The ATO acknowledges the identification by the President of the Administrative Review Tribunal (Tribunal) of a systemic issue with the process by which income tax refunds are applied against family tax benefit debts.
Since May 2024, the ATO has worked with our partner agencies, taking active steps to address this issue and remediate the impact on affected recipients. We are continuing to work with our partner agencies to explore further options for improving our processes, particularly for taxpayers experiencing vulnerability and financial hardship.
We have published information on our website to guide impacted taxpayers on how to request a reconsideration of their case having regard to their personal circumstances where we’ve applied a refund against their family tax benefit debt.
If a taxpayer is concerned about the circumstances in which their refunds have been applied against their family tax benefit debt, they can contact the ATO on 1300 788 347 to discuss their circumstances
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