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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has left tax professionals out of the mix in a thank-you message to payroll specialists for their part in an “extraordinary effort” to facilitate the rollout of the JobKeeper scheme.
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Scott Morrison personally thanks payroll practitioners
12 June 2020
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7 minute read
In a recorded video message to The Association for Payroll Specialists (TAPS), Mr Morrison singled out payroll practitioners for their role in assisting with the distribution of the $70 billion JobKeeper scheme.
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“We don’t often talk about our payroll specialists except on an occasional payday. But you have been a vital cog in our national efforts over recent months, and the government, in particular, has asked a lot of you,” said Mr Morrison in a video that was shared ahead of the TAPS year-end seminar.
“It’s been an extraordinary partnership. But it was all out of payroll specialists across Australia that actually made it work, rolling out JobKeeper to more than 3 million Australians’ pay packets, almost immediately, burning the midnight oil because families depend on it.
“I wanted to just say thanks for the great job you’ve applied in helping your fellow Australians, for those you work alongside, for playing your part in what has been an extraordinary effort.
“I want you to know the country is proud of you, I’m proud of you, the Treasurer is proud of you, and you should be very proud of your own efforts that you’ve put in over recent months. We’re still a long way to go and I still need you out there doing that job every single day, so thank you very much.”
As of 4 June, JobKeeper payments worth $12.96 billion have been delivered to 872,482 businesses, covering about 3.3 million employees.
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Despite a majority of the government’s stimulus measures running through the tax system, tax professionals, including accountants and bookkeepers, have yet to be formally recognised by the government for their frontline efforts in assisting clients access these measures.
The closest the profession has gotten in recognition came when Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar welcomed the ATO’s decision to offer a conciliatory lodgement deferral to ease the burden on the tax profession.
The deferral was roundly criticised as insufficient by the professional accounting bodies, before the ATO made a final decision to stick to the due dates, with a concession to not apply late lodgement penalties if a return was lodged by 30 June.
The professional accounting bodies have now urged the government to consult with the profession ahead of developing future tax policies or further adjustments to the current stimulus measures.
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