Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has welcomed the Tax Ombudsman’s review of the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) Registered Agent Phone Line (RAPL). The Tax Ombudsman has made 14 recommendations following CA ANZ’s submission to the RAPL review, which highlighted concerns raised by members about the quality of the service.

“CA ANZ members using the ATO’s agent phone line have reported long wait times, difficulty accessing appropriately skilled ATO officers, and inconsistent or even incorrect advice.

“These are significant issues that impact the efficiency of Australia’s tax system and leave our members feeling frustrated and undervalued.”

The Tax Ombudsman’s review confirmed these concerns. It found that 85 per cent of calls are answered by contractors, with about half having less than a year’s experience. Although agent calls are prioritised, they are routed to the same officers who answer calls from the general public. More than half of the calls relate to 10 common topics, but agents often need in-depth follow-up.

CA ANZ supports the Tax Ombudsman’s recommendations, which recognise the vital role tax agents play in the tax system. The recommendations focus on:

• The ATO’s recognition of the valuable contribution made by agents and improving engagement with agents
• The ATO’s digital services offerings, including:
  • A review of the ATO general website, the ATO legal database, Online Services for Agents (OSfA), practice mail, the Practitioner Lodgement Service, the RAPL and the Tax Practitioner Assistance service. The purpose of the review is to identify content gaps on the website, as well as functionality gaps in OSfA and practice mail that drive unnecessary calls to the RAPL
  • Publishing ATO internal decision-making documents and checklists to allow agents to understand the ATO’s decision making processes
• Improving the service quality of the RAPL, publishing the RAPL’s performance data, routing agent calls to experienced and/or technical ATO staff and reviewing the fast key code system
• Reviewing the supporting guidance for client-agent linking (CAL) and making it easier to seek CAL telephone support

“The recommendations from the Tax Ombudsman are welcomed. It’s time for the ATO to invest in the expertise of its staff, its digital delivery processes and the transparency of its processes. Tax agents and their clients deserve nothing less.

“CA ANZ has long advocated for enhancements to OSfA, as its 24/7 availability makes it the preferred channel for our members. We support the Tax Ombudsman’s recommendation for a review of OSfA’s functionality gaps, which are currently driving unnecessary calls to the ATO.

“Our members want to resolve issues without needing to call the ATO. Improved guidance around ATO procedures and better digital functionality will boost productivity for both tax agents and the ATO, ensuring cost-effective services for taxpayers.”

CA ANZ also welcomes the ATO’s commitment to publish decision-making documents for high-priority areas, and calls for the ATO to accelerate its work on making transparent the ATO criteria for payment plans, interest charge remission, and other tax debt management areas.

While CA ANZ is disappointed the ATO did not agree to assign more experienced staff to the RAPL, it is pleased with the commitment to direct calls to more highly trained ATO staff in dedicated high-impact areas such as tax debt management, as well as making improvements to OSfA.

CA ANZ looks forward to working with the Tax Ombudsman and the ATO to ensure these recommendations are implemented effectively.