Original article by Geoff Chambers, Thomas Henry
The Australian – Page: 4 : 28-Oct-26

The Australian Taxation Office’s automated system for recovering outstanding tax debts will come under scrutiny at a Senate estimates hearing today. Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson says small business owners are being targeted by the ATO’s "supercharged" automatic collection scheme and being threatened with fines of up up to 200 per cent plus interest charges, but with no evidence of misconduct. Data from Tax Ombudsman Ruth Owen shows that there was a 74 per cent increase in complaints about the ATO’s tax debt collection procedures in the six months to September, compared with the same period in 2025.

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA