ATO wants to improve working conditions for small businesses

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has announced that it wants to provide small businesses with more clarity around taxation, and give them a better understanding of how their finances are affected by the rules and regulations put in place by the government.

Essentially, the ATO is aiming to streamline the tax accounting practices that many small entity owners have to go through, and create a two-way dialogue that's understood on a broader scale.

"We're committed to making it easier for small business to manage their tax and super responsibilities. The best way for us to work out what small businesses need is to have ongoing engagement with them and their industry representatives directly," explained ATO Deputy Commissioner Steve Vesperman.

Establishing the Small Business Liaison group

To better develop the working relationships between the ATO and Australia's small businesses, the entity is aiming to use the Small Business Liaison (SBL) group as a conduit for communications and the transfer of knowledge.

The SBL group is set to encompass a number of representatives from a raft of industries, and will allow small business owners to garner knowledge from those that may have been through similar situations in the past.

Garnering feedback

The ATO is also looking to small business owners to provide them with feedback about their experiences of taxation, and whether there are any areas in particular that present red tape and make things difficult.

"When it comes to delivering improved services, some of the best advice we can get is from small business operators. We use the feedback and information that comes out of these collaborations to improve the overall tax and super experiences for all small businesses, so it is well worth the effort," Mr Vesperman concluded.

Ultimately, the guidelines and legal requirements set out by the ATO can be difficult to follow for all but the most savvy business owners. Consequently, those that want to learn more or better understand how such obligations can impact operations need to discuss things with an applicable tax accountant.