Australian e-tax returns reach record highs

The Australian Taxation Office’s e-tax programme is marked by a high uptake of on-line responses, the FutureGov reported.

This week, more than one million people have registered to submit their tax returns electronically. These lodgements are saving time, and helping get refunds much faster.

This latest tally is just over a month into tax time — marking a major milestone for electronic filling reforms, according to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Commissioner Michael D’Ascenzo.

The ATO is responsible for collecting net tax of up to US$273 billion (AUD$273 billion) each year. “This latest milestone brings the total number of lodgments since the official launch of e-tax in 1999 to 18.5 million,” Commissioner D’Ascenzo said.

“The ATO is committed to making the lodgment of income tax returns fast and easy. This year, most Australian taxpayers who are expecting a refund and lodge electronically will have it in 12 business days or less.”

As one of the largest information technology operations in the Australian Public Service, the ATO’s operation is supported by an annual ICT budget of US$633.3 million (AUD$633.3 million).
This agency employs more than 2,100 staff nationally. It also partners with external service providers to deliver and support over 750 networked systems.

These systems are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, covering 61 sites nationally. Last year, 2.6 million self-preparers used e-tax to lodge their return with almost 74 per cent of them choosing to use an online pre-fill service.

This service helps people complete their tax return by downloading information the ATO has received from employers, financial institutions, and government agencies. This information is pre-loaded against relevant questions in an e-tax form.

A pre-fill option is saving time and helping ensure that a tax return is correct. “All people need to do then is check their information and add any missing details,” Commissioner D’Ascenzo said.

Information available from the ATO’s pre-fill service includes welfare payments, as well as pensions and allowances. This service also incorporates Medicare information, medical expenses and amounts being claimed through private health insurance policy and rebate details.

The ATO’s 2012-2015 “Online Strategy” factors in new areas of focus. These areas incorporate integrating pay-as-you-go and fringe benefits tax installments into a core information management system.

The agency is also transitioning to a ‘one client’ register to support expanded online services. This register will help integrate data covering superannuation membership and change-of-contact details. Internet portals and gateways are also improving communication between the ATO and tax agents. This communication is speeding up responses to industry surveys and other information-gathering activities.