Home > Our Publications > Australian Outlook> 2004 > September

THE Australian Tax Office has hired 600 new people to keep claims honest and accurate this year.
Launching the 2004-05 Compliance Programme, Tax Commissioner Michael Carmody said the top end of town plus salary and wage earners and landlords would be under even greater scrutiny this year.
Truckies, real estate agents, airline staff, entertainers, financial advisers and travel agents can all expect special scrutiny for their work-related expense claims.
A crackdown on the cash economy will focus on car sales-people, professional fishers, horse racing, gold, antique and art dealers, property speculators and builders, restaurant and cafe owners, hotels, clubs and bartering.
Big business and millionaires will be in his sights after auditors collected a massive $2.5 billion from non-compliant big business and wealthy individuals last year.
Interest dividend, pension and employment income will all be examined closely again this year after the 125 million transactions reviewed last year uncovered undeclared income of $130 million.
Small business, which contributes $37 billion in tax, will not escape the net.
Other areas of interest for the tax Office this year include small to medium enterprises, international tax issues, bank secrecy, aggressive tax planning, plus evasion and serious fraud.