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Jobs cuts at the ATO have been blamed for the recent MyTax failures which have prevented thousands of individuals from lodging their 2015 tax return online.
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MyTax failures stem from staff cuts, says MP
09 July 2015
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8 minute read
MyTax, the ATO’s online lodgement system, has been experiencing technical difficulties since 1 July with many individuals unable to lodge their tax return as a result.
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In a statement issued yesterday, the ATO apologised to the public for the system problems and outages.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience that issues with our online systems have caused. I can assure you that we’re working around the clock to fix these,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the tax office suggested individuals wait until next month to use the MyTax system.
“If it’s not urgent for you to lodge now, we suggest that you wait until August when there will be more pre-fill data available to enhance your experience, making it easier and quicker.”
Speaking on ABC Newsradio shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh blamed the recent Abbott government cuts to ATO funding for the failures.
“We have the tried and tested eTax system, which is being phased out, and the poor ATO staff – after 4,700 job cuts – are now being asked to deliver this new MyTax system.”
“They've got an IT system that really seems to be struggling to keep up. I don't blame the tax office; I blame a government which expects agencies to roll-out new systems while slashing the public service.”
Mr Leigh said the funding cuts to the ATO where ”short-sighted” and have now ended up affecting the wider community.
“They don't just affect public servants, the 4,700 people who've lost their jobs, but they end up affecting the millions of Australians that will be looking to file their tax returns over the course of the coming months.”
“They're the victims of ideologically driven public service cuts. Let's face it: the number of public servants per Australian didn't rise under Labor's time in government and if you look across the developed world, the size of our public service is modest,” Mr Leigh said.
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