The ATO recently announced their intention to intensify their efforts to educate and enforce taxation compliance. "Our most intensive audit and review activities will continue to be at the large end of the market - large corporates and high wealth individuals. We are getting substantial audit results and identifying significant risks in this market." said Commissioner of Taxation, Michael Carmody.
"You can expect us to be tougher on serious fraud and evasion. Bringing together our serious non-compliance operations has resulted in substantial prosecutions. We are also working with the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions." Mr Carmody added.
The ATO will also focus on, and take tougher action against, habitual non-payers who are avoiding paying tax and thereby gaining a competitive advantage over businesses who are doing the right thing.
A further area under scrutiny is the deliberate non lodgement (or non-registration) and deliberate non-payment of tax debts.
Mr Carmody also stressed the need for simplified compliance. "Of course managing compliance is not only about audits, prosecutions and debt collection. It is also about making it as easy as possible for people to comply. We want to be able, in two to three years, to give many individual taxpayers almost immediate confirmation that their tax responsibilities have been finalised (from our perspective) with the lodgement of their return" he said.
© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia, 29 April 2005. http://www.ato.gov.au/corporate/content.asp?doc=/content/57606.htm
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