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The ATO is set to acquire the data of 3 million Australians from Services Australia as it doubles down on the COVID-19 compliance front.
‘Everyone is now on notice’: ATO acquires COVID-19 data on 3m Aussies
29 June 2020
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5 minute read
Last week, the ATO published a gazette notice informing that it would now acquire data from Services Australia, formerly the Department of Human Services, to verify individuals’ eligibility criteria for JobKeeper payments, temporary early access to superannuation and temporary cash-flow boost.
Data for 3 million Australians are expected to be used for the data-matching program, running from 19 April to 24 September.
The data that will be scrutinised include identification details, government payments such as the JobSeeker payment, and when the benefit started or ceased.
Details of incarcerated individuals for the period of 1 March 2020 to 27 September 2020 will also be acquired from state and territory correctional facility regulators.
According to the Tax Office, the data-matching program will allow it to identify and address taxation risks, including identity theft, or incorrect or misleading information included in applications for the COVID-19 stimulus measures.
The Institute of Public Accountants general manager of technical policy Tony Greco believes the ATO’s gazette notice and its recently published compliance approach mean claimants should begin reviewing their circumstances.
“Everyone is now on notice,” Mr Greco said.
“The ATO will now catch up with making sure that the cash-flow boost, JobKeeper, early release of super, all those measures have been done in accordance with the policy intent and the rules.
“When these measures were being implemented, there was a lot of misinformation, the dust hadn’t settled and people can argue that they got confused.
“Now that the dust has settled and you’ve entitled yourself to any of those things and you don’t believe you’ve qualified, then it is probably better to come forward voluntarily.”
Mr Greco also believes the ATO will pay close attention to the early release of super claims, with 2.1 million individuals now having been approved for the scheme, totalling $15.9 billion in payments.
Eligible Australians will be allowed to apply up to a further $10,000 between 1 July and 24 September.
“People think, ‘I got the money; therefore, I must be OK’, but that’s a false sense of security because the whole intent was to help people in financial stress, not to open up the floodgates to people who just wanted to access their super because someone down the road was able to,” Mr Greco said.
“They now have line of sight — Single Touch Payroll is giving them so much transparency around what people are earning on a pay-cycle basis, that anyone whose circumstances haven’t changed, it is probably better to get on the phone now.
“If you think you’re not eligible, the best thing you can do right now is to ring up to say to the ATO that you think you may not be eligible.”
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- Yeah due to Covid my wife has to work from home and now suffering bad depression and PTSD worse than ever. My standard have not been cut but I now cannot work overtime and this doesn't qualify for super early release. We need that money more than ever but will get fined If I access. Very unhelpful system0
- Yes lets fine people for accessing their own money in their super funds! Worse than communism...0
- The rules were clear, if you suffered a drop in income (don't remember exact percentages) you can access $10000 of super. If you withdrew it without meeting the criteria, what do you think should happen? They get a letter of congratulations from the government.
No they should be fined, and as if a communist system would even have a privatised retirement income system numb-nut.0- The rules don't state drop in income, only drop in working hours by more than 20% and for it to assist them to deal with the adverse economic effects of COVID-19. Let the money stimulate the economy and do it's job. The ATO have caused fear and panic with the stimulus packages with their heavy handed tactics and stopped a lot of people and businesses accessing the help they need to survive.0
- By 20% or more, not by more than 20%.0
- Fined for accessing your own money? Nice system, regardless of whether the 'rules' were clear0
- I don't think people will be fined for accessing super, just pay tax on it. The ones who should be fined are the ones recontributing to their superfund to get an unfair tax deduction.0
- Super is intended to save tax payers money and have people support themselves in retirement, everyone should be against super withdrawals. The people doing it will more than likely take your tax paying money as a pension due to their missmanagment of their money. You will then be complaining about how these people are using your money0
- Government doesn't mind dipping their fingers in your super when needed!0
- Rubbish, people should be able to access their own money if they genuinely need it. No point waiting until retirement when it can help people out now, especially as it's only a percentage of it, and there's also people who won't make it to retirement. Many low income earners out there doing their best to make ends meet so a little help from your own super should be allowed0
- Agree. Many people live from week to week, barely covering costs, yet 10% of their income is sequestered away into another "bank account" which they can't touch for 40 years. Such people will almost certainly end up on a full pension come retirement anyway, so why not let them use the money now when they most need it.0
