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Surprise ATO visits to Tasmanian businesses & information sessions

Up to 500 Tasmanian small businesses can expect a surprise visit from the ATO during March 2019, in particular those that advertise as being ‘cash only’ or those that operate outside of the ATO’s performance benchmarks, with certain industries more at risk of such visits than others.

These visits are part of the ATO’s compliance activities geared towards combating the black economy, e.g. underreporting income or underpaying workers, and the ATO states that businesses in the following industries are more likely to get a visit:

  • Restaurants and cafes
  • Vehicle repairers
  • Personal care businesses including hairdressers and nail salons
  • Pharmacies
  • Construction businesses
  • Clothing stores
  • Grocery stores / small supermarkets
  • Butchers

The ATO will also hold two information sessions in Tasmania prior to the commencement of the visits, one in Launceston and one in Smithton:

Launceston: Monday 18 March

Peppers Silo Hotel (89-91 Lindsay Street, Invermay) from 7pm-8pm.

There will also be an ‘Introduction to business records’ session at the same venue from 8pm-9pm for interested businesses.

Smithton: Monday 25 March

Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre (72 Nelson Street) from 7pm-8pm.

There will also be an ‘Introduction to business records’ session at the same venue from 8pm-9pm for interested businesses.

We encourage businesses operating in the identified industries to attend one of the information sessions to familiarise themselves with the current ATO approach and what to expect should you find yourself on the receiving end of such a surprise visit.

(Note: if you want to attend, please register here.)

The ATO have advised that during the next financial year they will be performing even more visits to small businesses across the country as part of their compliance activities. You can read more about the upcoming visits on the ATO website.

Please contact your Ruddicks adviser should you have any questions about the upcoming ATO visits.

DISCLAIMER:

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

The content of this newsletter is general in nature. It does not constitute specific advice and readers are encouraged to consult their Ruddicks adviser on any matters of interest. Ruddicks accepts no liability for errors or omissions, or for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any person acting without such advice. This information is current as at 18 March 2019, and was published around that time. Ruddicks particularly accepts no obligation or responsibility for updating this publication for events, including changes to the law, the Australian Taxation Office’s interpretation of the law, or Government announcements arising after that time.

Any advice provided is not ‘financial product advice’ as defined by the Corporations Act. Ruddicks is not licensed to provide financial product advice and taxation is only one of the matters that you need to consider when making a decision on a financial product. You should consider seeking advice from an Australian Financial Services licensee before making any decisions in relation to a financial product. © Ruddicks 2019

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