The accuracy of the content is not guaranteed. Please rely only on the authorised document. Two million businesses have now applied for an Australian Business Number (ABN), Tax Commissioner Michael Carmody announced today. "Reaching the two million mark means the central plank of The New Tax System is now in place," Mr Carmody said. "This milestone demonstrates that business has recognised the important role of the ABN and the Australian Business Register in establishing the integrity of the new system. "In recent weeks, we received a rush of applications with 555,000 in April alone. We processed 562,000 in April, clearing up backlogs, and the result is two million applications received and 86 per cent of these are now registered. "I wish to acknowledge the commitment of Tax Office staff around Australia who have made exceptional efforts to help businesses register. Today's figures confirm the calls for industrial action have had no real impact on our preparations for the tax changes. "The majority of businesses have now taken the first step in making the transition to The New Tax System. "I urge any business yet to register to do so straight away. There are just 12 working days left to get your application in before the 31 May cut off date to be assured of getting your ABN prior to the 1 July start of the new system. "I am concerned that charities in particular may still be uncertain about registering. And there may be some small businesses with a turnover around $50,000 who are unsure as well. My advice is register now - it doesn't cost anything and there are many benefits in registering. "If you have any questions about registering - or any questions at all about The New Tax System - call our business infoline on 13 24 78. I am pleased to announce that we have extended our opening hours to include Saturdays from 10am to 3pm, to complement our weekday 8am to 8pm service. "I expect we will see continuing strong usage of our infolines in coming weeks and to meet the demand, we are bringing on nearly 200 more trained experts to assist the community. "I have introduced the new Saturday service to give businesses ample opportunity to get their questions answered as we get closer to the 1 July countdown. Businesses are very clearly turning their focus to final preparations. We are getting 20,000 calls a day to our business infolines, including 7,500 calls a day on ABN, 10,500 calls a day on GST and 1,250 calls a day on Pay As You Go. "The most common question to our business infoline last week was in relation to registration with people asking 'Should I register?' and 'How do I register?' "The quickest way to register is over the Internet through the Business Entry Point at www.business.gov.au. Most tax agents also offer an electronic lodgement service. If you are lodging your application by mail, you can get a free registration kit from major banks, post offices and newsagents or mailed by calling 13 24 78. "I would like to reiterate my offer to all businesses of free, personalised support and assistance from our team of nearly 3000 field officers across the country. Ring 13 24 78 to book a free visit. These visits are for education purposes only - I personally guarantee they are not about checking up in any way and nor will any information discussed during the visit be used for any other purposes. "The response to the visits has been excellent lately with 94,000 requests and in the first four days of May, we received nearly 4,000 requests. So far, we have visited over 72,000 businesses. "We will continue to provide this service for as long as small businesses require it. That means the service will continue after 1 July, but of course if you have any questions, it is best to book a visit now. "There has also been a tremendous take up of our Internet site www.taxreform.ato.gov.au and our free publications available by calling 13 24 78. We've had 75 million hits on the website, with over 10 million hits in April alone. "Small business also has opportunity to get information and have their questions answered live during the upcoming Sky Channel broadcast on 30 May. Small business operators interested in attending can obtain venue details and register for the Sky Channel broacasts, by calling 1300 138 990 or logging onto www.taxseminars.com.au CANBERRA
|
