The DPO held a meeting for DSPs yesterday afternoon to cover the breadth and scope of the Government's stimulus measures and how the ATO, and therefore DSPs, will support the delivery of these measures. The key message throughout the session was how we can all work together for the benefit of our mutual clients and support our community through the difficult times ahead.
Two key programs and whether they will be going ahead were discussed at the start of the meeting.
AUSkey - the date for AUSkey decommissioning will not be changing as the certificate is expiring on 27 March at 11.59pm.
STP Phase 2 - the ATO are listening to feedback and taking this on notice. They will be publishing and communicating any
decisions that are made.
Key Outcomes
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The ATO are managing the following stimulus measures:
Given the boosting cashflow for employers measure will be delivered as a credit within activity statements, DSPs that provide these services will need to be on top of how this will be delivered. A meeting specifically for activity statements and DSPs was held on Friday 27 March. The ATO expect to have their systems in place by 28 April. Considering the amount of questions surrounding the superannuation measures, the DPO are considering holding another session for funds and gateways to answer these. |
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2. |
The ATO's priority is to deliver these measures and ensure that tax time operates properly. This will mean that some programs will be de-prioritised but these decisions have not been made yet. Any decisions will be made public and communicated as soon as they can. |
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3. |
The Treasury Laws Amendment Bills (Reuniting More Super) or the Eligible Rollover Fund bill won't proceed as planned with Parliament adjourned until August. This measure will need to be reconsidered in future government priorities. |
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4. |
The DPO will be leveraging the DSP SWG to set up a COVID-19 Working Group for the DSP community. This will involve inviting extra bodies onto the group especially in the agent and PLS space. Outcomes from this group will be published on the software developer website and in the DSP newsletter. The sharing of DSP's quantitative data analysis will be discussed in this working group. |
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5. |
Outside of the working group, anyone that has any intelligence they can provide, whether it's what they are seeing or what their clients are seeing, they are encouraged to share this with the DPO. These issues should be communicated early and with as much detail as possible. |
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6. |
As hard as it is, with the large number of employers exiting out of business, their STP data will need to be finalised as they are shutting down. This is an important message for DSPs and their clients. |
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7. |
If you are experiencing any issues with ATO services such as myGovID and M2M services, please contact the DPO. |
The ATO understands that it is also challenging for DSPs as businesses and the DPO are committed to helping and supporting DSPs as best as they can. If there is anything they can do differently or better, please reach out to them.
The ATO and DPO will be using all their channels to communicate changes, including the DSP newsletter. If you are not already subscribed, you can subscribe here.
The ATO's COVID-19 landing page is an important messaging page and these pages are being updated frequently.
ABSIA will be communicating any significant updates through our newsletter, news blasts and on our
Forum.
We will also share the details of any meetings as well as publishing important outcomes.
Contact the DPO
The DPO can be contacted by email - DPO@ato.gov.au or by using online
services for DSPs portal.
Acronyms
- DPO - Digital Partnership Office
- DSP - Digital Service Provider
- ATO - Australian Taxation Office
- STP - Single Touch Payroll
- DSP SWG - Digital Service Provider Strategic Working Group