We received some great responses to our eNews survey. We thank you for taking the time to provide us with your honest feedback. We will use your answers to help us improve future issues and better tailor them to suit your needs. We’re currently in the process of reviewing your suggestions and making some changes to our newsletter. A better and improved version of eNews will be coming your way so keep an eye on your inbox!

We’re concerned that tax practitioners are letting their professional indemnity (PI) insurance obligations slip. Don’t forget you still need to update your details with us. As a registered tax practitioner, you are required to ensure your PI insurance details are up to date and that you are maintaining your ongoing registration requirements. Login to your My profile account to update your PI insurance details and the details of any of your associated entities. View our video for step-by-step instructions.
 
Watch it now.

We’ve had reports that some tax practitioners have received emails claiming to be from us. The sender demands they owe us money and if they don’t pay, their registration will be cancelled. This is a scam. If you receive a suspicious email we recommend you:

• contact the person or business separately to check the email is legitimate
• don’t open any unknown links or attachments
• update your anti-virus software on all devices used to access email.

Learn more.

The registered tax practitioner symbol provides you with public recognition you are registered with us. We urge consumers to look out for the symbol when choosing a tax practitioner. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can use your unique symbol in your advertising to promote your services and promote confidence among consumers. This is a good way to grow your client base.
 
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Every six months we conduct a survey across a sample of tax practitioners and consumers. The latest survey results show:

• 88% of consumers have a high level of trust in their tax practitioner and 66% rated their experience as excellent
• 56% of consumers have used the same tax practitioner for more than five years
• tax practitioners’ understanding of our role has remained steady at 79%
• the majority of respondents recognised that regulation of the sector protected both tax practitioners and consumers.

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Tomorrow is the last day to have your say on the proposed changes for our continuing professional education (CPE) requirements. Some of the proposed key changes include:

• increasing the minimum number of CPE hours to 120 hours over three years for all tax practitioners
• increasing the minimum CPE hours requirement per year to 20 hours for all tax practitioners
• allowing some educative health and wellbeing activities to count.

Email your submission to tpbsubmissions@tpb.gov.au by 11 March 2021.

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This month we’re hosting three webinars on 17 March:

• 10am – 11am (AEDT) TASA review – what it means for you – hear about what changes are on the horizon and how they may impact you as a tax practitioner.
• 1pm – 2pm (AEDT) Know your obligations – newly registered tax practitioners, learn about all your requirements.
• 3pm – 4pm (AEDT) Keep up to date with your ongoing obligations – understand what you need to do to continue to meet your ongoing obligations.

Register now.

ATO Open Forums are back online with the first one kicking off on 24 March. This is an opportunity for you to interact with us and the ATO. Hear about the latest updates and upcoming changes. You can also raise questions and participate in the online discussion about matters of importance to you and your practice. Your attendance may contribute towards your CPE so be sure to register!
 
Register now.

We understand many people are still struggling with the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you or your clients need help, Beyond Blue provide a Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing service. Their website is regularly updated with information, advice and strategies to help manage wellbeing and mental health. Also remember, we’re temporarily accepting a small amount of educative health and wellbeing activities to count towards your CPE. However, the vast majority of your activities must still be relevant to the services you provide.

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A company tax agent has had their registration terminated and is banned from applying for registration for three years. Following an investigation, we found the company breached multiple provisions of the Code of Professional Conduct (Code), including failing to account to a client for money it held on trust. The company also attempted to obstruct our investigation which is serious behaviour. Allowing the company to remain registered and continue to provide tax agent services would pose a significant risk to the public.  
 
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A tax agent has received a six-month suspension of his registration along with other sanctions, after being referred to us by the ATO. Our investigation into the tax agent’s conduct revealed he breached multiple provisions of the Code. He failed to act honestly and with integrity in his dealings with us, comply with his personal tax obligations and provide competent tax agent services.
 
Learn more.