Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Financial Services. Not-for-profits with an ABN are required to lodge annual self-review returns to the ATO. Many organisations are run by retired volunteers who tell me it's an overwhelming process involving a myGov ID, an online lodgement system or waiting to be answered on the ATO line. Why won't the minister make it easier for such organisations by allowing them to lodge a paper form?

Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mayo for her question and note that there are 76,000 constituents in her electorate who are getting a tax cut this week. I'm happy to engage with the member on the issue she raises, and I'm sure the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury would also be happy to engage with the member on ways that we can ensure that charities and not-for-profits are able to meet their legal obligations, whether it's to the tax office or to other compliance means.

I will say that, as a general rule, the capacity of members of the public to lodge their tax returns with the tax office electronically means that they can do it more efficiently and more effectively and they can get their returns paid far more quickly than they would otherwise be able to do through the lodgement of paper returns. This is true in relation to individual taxpayers and it's also true in relation to not-for-profit and other organisations as well. To the specific issues that you raise, member for Mayo, I would be happy to engage with you and other members of this House to ensure we can help not-for-profit organisations and small businesses meet these obligations.