The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) has released its survey results into the effectiveness of the ATO’s communication of taxpayers’ rights to complain, review and appeal decisions or actions. The survey was conducted between August and September 2020 with participation from taxpayers and tax professionals.
Key take-aways include:
- the majority respondents confirmed that the ATO regularly communicates taxpayer’s right to lodge a formal objection against certain ATO decisions in accordance with Pt IVC of the TAA53;
- more than 60% of respondents were unaware of or have not used the ATO complaints function; and
- 36% of respondents indicated that they do not get details of the decision maker, contact details, what information was considered and reasons for the decision in ATO communications.
The IGTO said that the survey observations provided “important early signals” for the IGTO to identify those areas of ATO communication that should be explored in further detail as part of its investigation. [LTN 171, 6/9/21]