To protect honest, compliant Australian businesses, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has placed a strong emphasis on targeting the cash and hidden economy.

The ATO is visiting businesses that deal predominantly in cash, with a focus on those that:

• Fail to meet super or employer obligations, and that fail to register for GST or lodge activity statements.
• Operate outside regular small business benchmarks specific to their industry.
• Show discrepancies between what they have reported and ATO collected data relating to electronic payments.
• Operate and advertise as cash-only.
• Income does not correlate with the lifestyle of the business owner, i.e., assets and spending habits exceed what is expected of someone with their reported income.
• Pay their employees cash-in-hand.
• Estimate their sales and income.
• Use the ‘no sale’ and ‘void’ button on cash registers when taking cash payments.
• Do not reconcile at the end of the day and do not keep cash register tapes.
• Are reported to the ATO by members of the community or any third party regarding potential tax evasion.
• Are part of an industry that is known for dealing primarily in cash-only.

When out visiting cash-only businesses, the ATO will be working in unison with local authorities and industry associations to asks questions and discuss:

• Why the business operates primarily or only in cash.
• The need to lodge tax returns and activity statements.
• How to be compliant in relation to tax and super obligations.
• Different claims and tax deductions businesses can make.
• The general community preference to have EFTPOS or electronic payment options
• available to them.
• Benefits of electronic payment and record keeping facilities.
• Relaying tools and services businesses can use if they are struggling to ensure they are compliant with Australian tax laws.

If the ATO comes across a business that is doing the wrong thing or failing to meet their obligations, they have a duty to take action. This may result in the business facing an audit and possible prosecution. If you have made a mistake and make a voluntary disclosure detailing your errors, the ATO will work with you to rectify this and create a solution.

If you believe that your business may be at risk, please call us to discuss further or to run a health check to ensure your operations are in order. 

Published : 23 Jan 2018