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The registered agent phone line has been listed as a priority review area in the Inspector-General of Taxation's finalised workplan.
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IGTO lists agent phone line as top review area
31 October 2024
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The Inspector General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) Ruth Owen has released the finalised version of her first forward workplan of systemic reviews following extensive community consultation.
The IGTO has made changes to the priority areas listed for review in the workplan for 2024–25 following feedback from the tax profession and broader community.
The service provided to tax agents through the ATO's dedicated agent helpline has now been added to the list of priority areas by the IGTO after professional bodies and tax agents raised their concerns about the timeliness and effectiveness of the service.
The IGTO said it had received concerns about the timeliness and effectiveness of engagements through the registered agent phone line and the capacity and capability of ATO staff who manage the phone line.
It had also received complaints about the level of support and assistance provided through the phone line to troubleshoot issues relating to the recently implemented client-agent linking system.
"In our consultations to date, we have identified a mismatch of expectations between what agents want from the ATO’s dedicated phone line, and the service offer from the ATO," it said.
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"Exploring expectations will help understand what causes misunderstandings or frustrations in the agent community and ATO."
The IGTO said the review of the agent phone line would examine:
- The timeliness of responses to calls made to the registered agent phone line.
- Whether the resourcing and capability of the officers assigned to the registered agent phone line are adequate to meet agent demands and expectations.
- Opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the registered agent phone line to support agents.
The IGTO also plans to undertake an assurance review of the ATO's letters and communications.
The workplan stressed that good written communication by the ATO would create certainty, minimise confusion and foster confidence in interactions. It is also likely to generate the intended responses from the community.
"Conversely, poor communication creates a cost to the ATO – from the volume of calls, enquiries, complaints received and non-compliance/disengagement from the tax system," it said.
"It is therefore critical that the ATO ensures that it designs and writes its letters in a style and language that sufficiently enables taxpayers to understand what is being asked of them as well as their rights and obligations."
Through a sample of major batch communication letters issued over the last 12 months, the IGTO plans to examine how the ATO designs and tests its written communications, processes in place to address any confusion or uncertainty arising from the content of communications and how feedback is received and used to improve letter design and written communications.
The other priority review area would be the identification and management of tax financial abuse.
That review would examine the ATO policies and procedures for identifying and supporting victim survivors of tax financial abuse.
It would also examine how ATO leverages the input and insight of other agencies with relevant specialist expertise and experience and whether the tax law currently provides sufficient powers for the Commissioner to grant relief where tax financial abuse is demonstrated.
The review would also look at whether the ATO has robust and effective policies to identify and hold perpetrators of financial abuse to account, including in collaboration with other agencies.
Owen said the workplan reflects current social and community needs and priorities as well as the pressures being felt within the tax agent profession.
"It aims to ensure that we devote our resources to topics which are most impactful for the broadest segments of the community,” Owen said.
Owen also announced that her office would undertake more focused and targeted reviews to complete and release reports within three to four months.
"My reviews are an important and powerful tool to identify improvements and effect change within the tax system," she said.
"We have had a great response to our consultation document on my priorities and now we are ready to start delivering.”
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