ATO aims at businesses

ATO/

27 January 2017
| By Oksana Patron |
image
image image
expand image

Australian businesses should stay alert in 2017 and be prepared for intensified tax audit activity by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as it "aggressively looks for opportunities to raise revenue", according to Pilot Partners.

The firm said that the move was a result of the Turnbull Government's New Tax Avoidance Taskforce that was being funded by the 2016 Federal Budget and received a 55 per cent increase in audit funding over four years.

It is also expected to bring in nearly $1 billion in new revenue from increased tax audit revenue.

According to Pilot Partners' tax partner, Murray Howlett, businesses should "get their affairs in order", stay alert to a possible tax audit and know "where their bodies were buried".

"With any audit, the onus will always be on the individual taxpayer to substantiate their tax position," he said.

"Most laws require the complaining party to prove their case, however the onus of proof is reversed in taxation matters.

"This means that the ATO can raise assessments that require the individual taxpayer to prove them wrong so it's always preferable to avoid adverse assessments being issued in the first place."

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest news and developments in wealth management industry

MARKET INSIGHTS

So we are now underwriting criminal scams?...

5 months ago

Glad to see the back of you Steve. You made financial more expensive, not more affordable as you claim, and presided ...

5 months ago

Completely agree Peter. The definition of 'significant change is circumstances relevant to the scope of the advice' is s...

7 months 1 week ago

The FSCP has issued a written direction to an adviser who charged clients “extraordinary fees” for inappropriate and conflicted advice, as well as encouraged them to swit...

1 week 5 days ago

ASIC has cancelled the AFSL of an advice firm associated with Shield and First Guardian collapses, and permanently banned its responsible manager. ...

3 weeks 1 day ago

ASIC has confirmed the industry funding levy for the 2024–25 financial year, and how much licensees can expect to pay....

2 days 23 hours ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS

ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND
Fund name
3y(%)pa
2
DomaCom DFS Mortgage
95.46 3 y p.a(%)
5