The federal Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue has today tabled its report into the scrutiny arrangements for the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
The Committee has declined to recommend any changes to the scrutiny arrangements, finding that any duplication of oversight between different scrutiny bodies was minimal, if it occurred at all.
The Committee found:
The scrutineers work very differently. Some make policy recommendations while others do not. Statutory scrutineers operate within the ATO with access to detailed data, while parliamentary committees work at a distance and rely more on public submissions and witness testimony.
The Committee also noted:
Stakeholders pointed to the benefits of scrutiny. They argued that scrutiny promotes community confidence in the tax system and that it is a form of investment.
The Committee’s recommendation is in line with the Institute’s submission – available here – which emphasised the importance of continued scrutiny of the Tax Office, and discussed how the current scrutiny arrangements play important roles.
