IGTO commences review into tax agent phone line
The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman has commenced a review into the ATO’s registered agent phone line, with around two-thirds of respondents encountering issues with the service.
Registered tax and BAS agents across Australia have been asked to share their feedback and insights about the ATO's registered agent phone line with the Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) opening an investigation into the service.
Ruth Owen, IGTO, said the review is in response to increased reports of dissatisfaction with the service.
“The ATO is increasingly providing its services online, but 65 per cent of tax agents say they had problems using these services, so many of them pick up the phone and call the ATO’s dedicated registered agent phone line to get help,” Owen said.
“The feedback I get from agents is that the service has long wait times and is inconsistent, and that they aren’t confident they will get the right answer when they call, or even the same answer each time they call.”
Owen said the new client-agent linking system is also creating dissatisfaction as it rolls out, with agents often finding that the phone support they need to resolve issues when they arise is lacking.
“There’s clearly a mismatch between what agents want and expect and what the ATO is providing, and I think that’s worth investigating,” Owen said.
“Agents want a certain level of tax expertise on the other end of the line, but that’s not what they say they are getting.
Owen said the review would look for patterns in the complaints she has received from registered tax and BAS agents, but she also wants to hear directly about expectations and ideas on how the ATO could improve this important service.
It has announced a series of online and face-to-face forums to gather informal feedback and insights, as well as accepting written submissions, to help inform the review. The first of these will be held at Curtin University in Perth on 12 March, with others to follow around the country.
Owen said she wanted to provide every agent the opportunity to have their say.
"That will give me real insights into the issues on the ground so that I can make the best possible recommendations to practically help the ATO improve their service for agents.”
“That means opening the process up to anyone who wants to tell their story, even if they don’t make a formal submission to the official review. There will be lots of ways to have your say, and I look forward to hearing from you.”
