As any literary detective will tell you, you can often pin the crime on the right criminal when you work out who among the suspects stood to profit. This idea is in fact ancient: the Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca said in the first century AD, 'who profits by a crime commits it.' He also...

How Australians respond to the tough times is a mark of our character. It is a tribute to the resilience of the Queensland community that the focus of people's lives, in many ways at least, is starting to return to normal after not just one but a spate of natural disasters. The fact we are...

The famous American novelist Samuel Langhorne Clemens said the only thing that is consistent in life is change itself. Clemens was a living testament to this philosophy himself and he exchanged his given name for the one that made him famous in his professional writing career - a.k.a Mark Twain....

Ensuring effective management of money invested in self-managed superannuation funds and safeguarding these assets for the future is a critical issue for the community.The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has a role in ensuring Self Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSFs) comply with the...

Today I would like to talk about our approach to small business compliance and what we're doing to make it easier for business to comply with their taxation obligations. The Government has also provided us with extra funding, some of which will go towards reforms to assist small business.In...

Tax: it's more than numbers. This was the theme of the Australasian Tax Teachers Association conference I addressed in January. It is a statement that aligns strongly with the ATO's view, and corroborates the thinking behind our new Strategic Statement. Our vision links willing engagement in the...

The mining and energy sectors are very important to Australia's economy and its revenue and retirement income systems. Indeed, as we have seen in the unfolding of the downturn, there is a high level of interdependence and interconnection. Strong economic growth was reflected in increasing...

"Tax authorities already operate in an environment that is laden with risks." For the foreseeable future the spotlight on tax within a context of a global financial crisis, is set to hold special interest and new challenges for the ATO's administration of Australia's tax and superannuation systems

In the current economic downturn it makes common sense to empathise with taxpayers who want to do the right thing but are in need of short term support. For example, by providing a little latitude - treating people how you would expect to be treated in their shoes - the Australian Taxation...

It is a pleasure to welcome you here tonight on the eve of the Asia Tax Forum. A few years ago I hosted the Study Group on Asian Tax Administration and Research here in Sydney.Today, I welcome the Asia Tax Forum as a broadening of that relationship, noting the importance of that relationship to...