These 5 aspirations represent possible future ambitions to transform how we can deliver seamless experiences for our clients.
How they are applied in practice and what can be achieved is being considered as part of our commitment to being a leading digital business.
Each aspiration will be explored in order to determine what is viable and beneficial to progress, noting some depend on policy decisions or are matters for government.
Planning and delivery will then occur in stages over the next 3, 5 and 7 years.
Five aspirations
- Transformed experiences:
- Remove or reduce the need for reporting that occurs outside of natural systems.
- Streamlined Online Services for all client groups.
- Law and policy facilitate digitalisation:
- Advocate for policy settings that enables:
- Tax rules to be embedded into the ecosystem.
- Appropriate information to be shared with partners and digital service providers.
- Advocate for policy settings that enables:
- Event-based taxation:
- Regular event-based or right-time reporting for all tax obligations (for example, GST, PAYGI, FBT, LCT).
- Right-time or event-based payments for some obligations.
- Connected whole of government and international systems:
- Collaborate with the OECD Forum on Tax Administrations to develop solutions for cross-border Digital Identity.
- Be a leader in global interoperability for eInvoicing, Digital Identity, sharing and gig economy.
- Auto-regulating ecosystems:
- Conditions for entitlements are integrated into systems and automatically checked.
Appendix
Glossary
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
APIs are mechanisms that enable 2 software components to communicate with each other, allowing data and information to be obtained, posted or exchanged, using a set of definitions and protocols.
Clients
Clients are those who interact with us or consume our services. They include taxpayers, citizens, intermediaries and partners.
Data Acquisition, Pre-fill and Sharing (DAPS) Program
The DAPS Program is a program of work that aims to implement a scalable and flexible enterprise data architecture and platform that will modernise our data processing patterns and build a modern data and analytics capability.
Digitisation
Digitisation is the process of changing from analogue to digital format, for example, paper to portable document format (PDF). Digitisation does not necessarily seek to improve processes.
Digitalisation
Digitalisation is the use of digital technologies to change a business model and identify new revenue and value-producing opportunities. It enables organisations to strategically address business transformation challenges and create significant benefits.
Digitally mature
Digitally mature refers to an organisation's ability to plan for, respond and adapt to the developments and shifting trends of digital technology, processes and capabilities.
Digital Services Gateway (DSG)
DSG is a new enterprise API management capability focused on enabling and supporting new and existing DSPs now and into the future.
Digital Service Provider (DSP)
A DSP is an entity that delivers digital products to the community using software to enable their services. They may choose to connect their software to government services via APIs.
myTax
myTax is an online service for individuals that can be accessed on a computer, smartphone or tablet to lodge an individual tax return.
Natural systems
Natural systems is the environment within which individuals and businesses carry out their daily activities. These can be described as normal processes or any place, system, channel, etc that people use. For example, the ATO mobile app; STP reporting that taps into existing payroll systems and uses digital technology to receive data.
Retail services
Retail services are services that are delivered by government directly to the end users through online, paper or face-to-face channels.
Single Touch Payroll (STP)
STP is a simplified way for employers to report employees' payroll information digitally via their payroll software. This includes salaries and wages, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and superannuation information to the ATO.
SuperStream
SuperStream is a simplified way to transmit money and information digitally and consistently across the superannuation system involving employers, funds, service providers and the ATO.
Tax performance
Tax performance is the amount of tax actually paid to the ATO relative to the amount owed.
Users
Users includes anyone – clients or staff – that use or may need to use internal systems.
Verifiable data
Verifiable data is data that can be checked for completeness, consistency, and accuracy against a trusted source.
Wholesale services
Wholesale services are services that are delivered to stakeholders who may incorporate these within other products or services for end users. For example, APIs consumed by DSPs to develop and deliver tax services via their software products.