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Commissioner of Taxation Chris Jordan has hit back at claims from a coalition of media outlets that the Tax Office takes money without the knowledge of the taxpayer, slamming it as “alarmist and misleading”.
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Chris Jordan hits back at ‘ridiculously incorrect’ claims
23 October 2019
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Earlier this week, Australia’s Right to Know coalition of media organisations launched a public awareness campaign to push for stronger protections for media freedom to fight against government secrecy legislation.
The Your Right to Know website ran with a statement that said, “The Tax Office can take money directly out of people’s accounts, but you’re not allowed to know”.
A video by the coalition also repeated the statement, depicting a taxpayer who had only just found out that the Tax Office had withdrawn money from their bank account.
Commissioner Chris Jordan has since refuted the claim, noting that the ATO will contact a taxpayer an average of 19 times before it exercises its garnishee powers.
“This statement is categorically incorrect and we strongly refute and object to it. We do not take money from people’s bank accounts without extensively attempting to inform them first,” Mr Jordan said.
“This misleading statement would have you believe that we go about helping ourselves to large sums of money from people’s accounts at a whim without them knowing. This is ridiculously incorrect.
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“When it comes to debt collection, we attempt to engage with taxpayers for an extended period, and provide them with every chance to rectify their tax situation and pay the amounts due under the law. We use garnishees and other firmer actions only after these attempts to engage the taxpayer have failed.”
Mr Jordan also said his agency considers all aspects of a taxpayer’s circumstance, and offers a range of support, including waiving penalties and interest charges to those experiencing serious hardship.
“The fictitious example used in the advertising campaign and associated website is alarmist and misleading. We are concerned this coverage serves only to create tension and worry for taxpayers where it did not previously exist, and perhaps even stop people from coming to us to get their tax affairs back on track,” Mr Jordan said.
“If you have a debt and are trying to do the right thing, we’re committed to understanding your situation and helping you.”
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