Welcome once again to our newsletter, IGoT News! You may have noticed a small change to our logo to include ‘Taxation Ombudsman’.
Why did we make this change? Consistent feedback from taxpayers and tax practitioners is that while they like our service, there is low awareness of the Inspector-General of Taxation name or brand (outside the tax profession). It’s a Eureka moment when complainants realise we are the Taxation Ombudsman – what a difference a single word makes. The ‘ombudsman’ concept has much longer standing and awareness in the community.
As we look to the future, the Taxation Ombudsman moniker will be embedded in our general and complaints-related communications! We will continue to work on our branding to raise awareness but will also maintain the Inspector-General concept and branding in support of our office’s original review function.
We also got feedback that a social media presence would improve awareness of our services. Our Facebook page opened last month in response, thanks to an amazing effort by our communications team. In the coming year, we will explore other channels to raise awareness to ensure taxpayers are able to reach us and get our assistance.
The Government has appointed me to act in this role until early February or thereafter until a permanent appointment is made. Our office’s focus during this time is threefold:
• supporting complainants and our team by responding to increased level of complaints as efficiently and effectively as possible;
• progressing the Garnishee review toward completion; and
• undertaking an internal review of our plans, policies and procedures to further enhance our ability to deliver high quality services next year and for the years to come.
We as an office would like to thank all of you for your support. We have enjoyed great support from all corners of the tax profession. We have also received support from ATO and the TPB officers similarly in managing complaints and conducting reviews. We would also be remiss in not acknowledging the contributions of the former IGT throughout his time at the helm and we wish him well in his future endeavours.
Lastly, but by no means least, I would personally like to thank our dedicated team. They have been simply magnificent in serving our broader community including all the taxpayers, tax practitioners and other stakeholders who availed themselves of our services over this year.
I wish you a very Merry festive season or Christmas and to all a safe and happy New Year.
Andrew McLoughlin
A/g Inspector-General & Taxation Ombudsman
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