ATO accused of bullying tactics

The Australian Taxation Office has been accused by one of its own of using bullying tactics against small and medium-sized enterprises and high worth individuals, following a restructure of the Tax Office's SME team and an increase in the revenue threshold to $250 million.

"The problem lies with the fact that the top echelons at the Tax Office, with key decision-making powers in relation to the planning, management and resourcing for technical business lines, often lack the technical capability," the officer has told the inspector-general of taxation.

"This results in the highest risks to the tax system not being appropriately identified, unnecessary compliance costs for both the taxpayer and the Tax Office and hasty decision-making without appropriate consideration of the evidentiary and commercial realities of the case," the Australian Financial Review reports the officer saying.

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