Tax Insights

The numbers come from the Tax Ombudsman's bi-annual complaints insights report. Complaints about penalties and interest made up 18% of all complaints to the office, compared with 13% earlier. Relief fell from about one in six cases to roughly one in 20, and the …

The Tax Ombudsman received 2,376 complaints in the six months, up 74% on the same period in 2025. Small business made up 20% of complaints but 29% of the more complex investigated cases.

The usual 31 October deadline falls on a Saturday this year, so people preparing their own return have until 11:59pm local time on Mon 2 November 2026. The ATO says delaying lodgment does not shift the 21 November payment date. As of 19 October, …

Mark Chapman, a tax communications director, says people tend either to forget legitimate expenses or to claim too aggressively. "Working from home is a good example," he said. The ATO's Tax Time 2026 focus areas, announced in April, are work-related expenses, omitted income and …

In Quy v Commissioner of Taxation [2026] FCA 1316, Justice Christopher Horan dismissed an appeal by Trong Quy. Mr Quy had argued he was not an Australian resident, did not have an Australian domicile and had a permanent place of abode in Dubai, where …

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Accountability for Tax Adviser Misconduct and Other Measures) Bill 2026 had passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate by 10 September 2026, and was then awaiting royal assent. Whether assent has since been given, and when each …

On 20 May 2026 the ATO released three pieces of guidance. TR 2026/1 is a public ruling on rental property income and deductions for individuals who are not in business. PCG 2026/2 sets out the ATO's compliance approach to apportioning rental deductions. PCG 2026/3 …