The ATO is one of the largest organisations in Australia. With over 20,000 staff it is an enormous organisation to attempt to deal with as an individual. Normally when speaking with the ATO you are simply a voice on the end of the phone and the member of staff looking after your tax file is only accountable in a limited was for their use of your information. Also, the fact is that taxation is very complicated as well. However, you need to be very careful when doing your taxes because the ATO now has very sophisticated systems for checking people’s tax returns for accuracy and for any evidence of dishonesty. Some of the systems which the ATO has access to allow it cross check data on bank accounts, share registries, state government information resources such as the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, the NSW Office of State Revenue, the NSW Department of Lands and their corresponding departments in other juridictions. The ATO can also access the records of Telstra, Centrelink and of the federal organisations in order to verify any data which a taxpayer has given them about their financial position or even their location for the purposes of serving legal documents.

For all of these reasons, it is a great advantage to obtain professional help when interacting with the ATO. The advice of an accountant is obviously valuable and if you need guidance as to the legal aspects of taxation and inparticular taxation litigation, legal advice can be invaluable. If you have a matter where you need advice in relation to the legal aspects of a taxation matter or any other form of help with your dealings with the ATO, please do not hesitate to contact us using the contact methods available on this site. We have specialist tax lawyers available to assist with your enquiry.