A number of Australian employers who have found themselves financially stressed as a result of the global financial crisis have fallen foul of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) by failing to meet their pay-as-you-go (PAYG) withholding tax and superannuation guarantee obligations.
ATO second commissioner, Bruce Quigley, has told a Tax Institute conference that of the 6,013 high-risk employers reviewed under the ATO’s so-called Employer Obligations audit program since 1 July last year, over 4,600 had not complied with their PAYG withholding obligations, and almost 3,000 had not met their superannuation guarantee obligations.
He said that evidence suggested when times were tough businesses were tempted to cut corners to stay afloat and prop up their cash flows.
“When businesses start to experience difficulties, they should contact us as soon as possible to work out a better, fairer strategy to address their financial problems,” Quigley said.
“Using money that is an entitlement of their employees is not the answer, and is only going to land them in hot water down the track.”
