CA ANZ has lodged a submission for the ATO’s review of the Taxpayers’ Charter. Some key points in the submission include:

• The ATO should consider enshrining taxpayer data rights in the Charter in view of the ATO’s modernised digital tax system plans.
• The ATO should broaden the range of rights of taxpayers who currently deal with the ATO online
• More explicit mention should be made in the Charter of the ATO’s commitment to provide tailored, additional support to those Australians who personal circumstances mean they struggle to comply with tax related obligations
• The Charter should address the cyber security aspects of the ATO’s operations and contain a public commitment to do all it can to protect taxpayer data
• A stronger commitment should be made in the Charter to adhering to published ATO service standards and minimising taxpayer compliance costs
• The Charter fails to acknowledge the important role of agents in the tax system.