The Australian Tax Office is collecting data from financial institutions and online selling sites as part of their data matching programs for credit and debit cards, online selling and ride-sourcing.
The data will include:
the total amount of credit and debit card payments businesses received
online sellers who have sold at least $12,000 worth of goods or services
payments made to ride-sourcing drivers from accounts held by the ride-sourcing facilitator
The ATO will match this data with information from income tax returns, activity statements and other ATO records to identify any discrepancies. Data matching helps the Tax Office to identify businesses that need help and those that may not be reporting all their income or meeting their registration, lodgment or payment obligations.
Business owners who think they might have made a mistake or left something out are urged to contact our office to correct your mistake, amend your return or make a voluntary disclosure. The ATO may reduce or even waive penalties if you make a disclosure before the Tax Office contacts you.
After COVID 19’s impact on the world, an influx of employees who had lost their jobs fell into the job market. Many of these came from companies that couldn’t afford to continue their employment. As a result, many individuals had to seek alternative employment, or draw from their super. Some individuals took on multiple jobs to pay bills, and others drew from the super that they had accumulated in the government’s early release scheme specifically for coronavirus related income loss.
Super is held by superannuation funds, and accumulates as a result of how much super an employer pays to the employees’ funds. Many Australians may find that they actually possess multiple super accounts as a result of having “lost” their super accounts during changeovers. It can also happen as a result of changing names, moving addresses, living overseas or changing jobs.
Australians can use the ATO’s online tools to:
View details of all of their super accounts, including lost or unclaimed amounts
Consolidate eligible multiple accounts (including any super held by the ATO)
Withdraw your super held by the ATO when certain conditions are met.
As superannuation funds often have fees associated with their upkeep, as well as insurances that may be tied into it (such as life, total and permanent disability and income protection), it’s important to consult with providers before accounts are consolidated.
