Treasury experts $290bn wide of the mark on budget forecasts

Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 : 18-Dec-14

Every single one of the Australian Treasury Department’s four-year forecasts in Budget estimates since 2010 has had to be downgraded later on. The total amount involved is $A290bn, and the poor track record casts doubt as well on the latest prediction, made in the December 2014 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, that a surplus will be restored in 2019-20. In the agency’s defence, Deloitte Access Economics’ Chris Richardson notes that reliable forecasts have become very hard to achieve due to the nation’s exposure to commodity export markets for coal, iron ore and LNG

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE

ATO chasing multi dippers

Original article by Nassim Khadem
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 14-Aug-14

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) intends to crack down on taxpayers who engage in so-called "dividend washing". The tax agency issued warning letters in March 2014, which prompted some 1,300 recipients to make voluntary disclosures. It will shortly follow this up with further letters to taxpayers who failed to respond. The ATO has warned that taxpayers who ignore the letter could be audited and face large tax penalties

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY