The ATO has revealed its refreshed ATO Charter, previously known as the Taxpayers’ Charter, which it said will strengthen its commitment to growing the trust and confidence of the Australian community.
The Tax Office said the ATO Charter explained what people could expect when interacting with the body, what the ATO’s commitments to the community were, what the ATO asks of them and what people in the community could do if they were not satisfied by the Tax Office.
In revamping the charter, the Tax Office underwent thorough consultation that noted the previous Taxpayers’ Charter was too dense and arduous to be accessed by the community and failed to reference the ATO’s support for those vulnerable or impacted by tough times.
ATO assistant commissioner Katherine Philp said the community feedback it received was imperative to the reinvigoration of the ATO Charter.
“We’ve listened to this feedback and made sure the refreshed ATO Charter is easy to understand and helpful, without changing any of the important commitments we make to the community,” said Ms Philp.
“The refreshed charter aims to provide clarity on what people can expect from the ATO and reflect our relationship of trust with the community.”
She said while the charter was synthesised from the previous 65-page document it still had links to further information in more detail when required.
“We take our commitments seriously and it’s important for us to know when people feel we may not be meeting those commitments,” said Ms Philp.
“We’re very proud of the result in the trust in Australian public services: 2022 annual report which saw the ATO come out on top with 81 per cent of people saying they trust the ATO.”
“But it’s important that the community knows what steps they can take if they are not satisfied. That’s why our refreshed charter has made this information more prominent.”
Ms Philp thanked all those that provided feedback and said without the contribution of the community the Tax Office would not have been able to ensure the revamped ATO Charter succeeded where the Taxpayers’ Charter did not.
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