Tax Management announces closures
By Chris Slee
Australian Taxation Office management has announced plans to close the Chatswood office in 1997, and the Bankstown and Cheltenham offices in 1998, with more closures likely to follow.
The closures were announced as part of a decision on ATO Business 2000, management's vision for the future of the Tax Office. It also includes plans for drastic cuts to accommodation standards, with space per person being cut from 20 to 15 square metres.
The plan also includes benchmarking Tax Office workers against other public and private sector agencies. If the ATO is found to be less efficient, then "outsourcing may be the result". Debt collection is mentioned as a specific area to be benchmarked — so in future if you are unable to pay your tax, a private debt collection agency may come knocking on your door.
The Community and Public Sector Union is planning to take the ATO to the Industrial Relations Commission, arguing that elements of ATO Business 2000 are in conflict with the agency agreement. The latter, however, expires at the end of June 1997, so an appeal to the IRC may at best be a delaying tactic.
Furthermore, the agency agreement gives no protection against many key aspects of management's plans — for example, it explicitly allows benchmarking and outsourcing.