Tax Avoidance Taskforce

About the Tax Avoidance Taskforce

The Tax Avoidance Taskforce (taskforce) aims to prevent, detect and address tax avoidance to ensure the largest and wealthiest taxpayers pay the right amount of tax in Australia. Formed in 2016, it enhances and extends our existing activities to eradicate illegal and fraudulent tax arrangements.

In Australia, most large companies comply with their tax obligations. Our latest estimates show that the largest companies are paying more than 93% of their tax voluntarily, increasing to nearly 96% after our compliance activity. Our aspiration is to increase this to 96% correct at lodgment and 98% after our compliance activity.

The taskforce aims to:

• detect tax avoidance to ensure large businesses and wealthy groups and individuals contribute the right amount of tax in accordance with the law
• help private and public groups, and their advisers and intermediaries, comply with their obligations by providing timely and tailored guidance on key topics
• increase transparency about how we administer the tax system
• develop a better understanding of the environment taxpayers operate within
• improve our resources and capabilities to identify and address tax avoidance
• implement targeted strategies to efficiently and effectively pursue outstanding debt amounts
• keep the community informed of our work by publishing latest reports and key highlights of activities completed
• work with the Treasury to help develop new legislative policies and improve current legislation
• improve taxpayers' understanding of the law through communication, guidance and seeking opportunities to clarify the law through strategic litigation.

The efforts of the taskforce have also contributed to positioning the ATO as an international leader in championing effective global multinational tax compliance at the OECD's Forum on Tax AdministrationExternal Link.

Taskforce populations

The taskforce has a strong focus on the Top 100 and Top 1,000 public and multinational businesses and the Top 500 privately owned groups. These groups are responsible for generating more than two-thirds of all corporate tax. The taskforce's tax assurance and compliance program also covers the Next 5,000 high wealth private groups that control net wealth exceeding $50 million and public and multinational businesses outside of our justified trust programs.

Over time we have expanded our coverage to include:

• medium and emerging public and multinational businesses and privately owned groups
• individuals and intermediaries involved in high-risk trust arrangements
• taxpayers with deliberate structural concealment
• advisers actively identified as influencing compliance behaviour.

We now also include limiting deductions for certain debt and intellectual property from offshore, increased transparency arrangements and private equity deals.

We are also focused on targeting promoters of tax schemes and other intermediaries who support or promote unlawful tax schemes and strategies.

Taskforce funding

The Australian Government funded the taskforce providing $679 million over 4 years in 2016. In the 2019–20 federal Budget, a further $1 billion extended the operation of the taskforce to 2022–23. This extra funding was used to expand our risk, assurance, and compliance strategies. It also increased our coverage across multinationals, public groups, private groups, wealthy Australians, and inappropriate trust arrangements, including those that advise this population.

In the March 2022 Budget, the taskforce was extended for a further 2 years to 2024–25, with additional funding of $652 million.

Further to this funding, and in acknowledgement of the success of the taskforce, the October 2022 Budget extended and expanded the taskforce through to 30 June 2026 with a total of $1.1 billion of extra funding over the 4-year period. This funding was provided to expand our coverage and includes new focus areas such as private equity.

The May 2024 Budget announcement further extended the taskforce to 30 June 2028 with an additional $1.2 billion in funding.

Tax Avoidance Taskforce making a difference

The taskforce is our most significant compliance program and has exceeded its revenue commitments.

From 2016 to 30 June 2024, it has helped secure around $32.4 billion in additional tax revenue and raised $38.7 billion in tax liabilities from large public groups, multinationals, wealthy individuals and private groups. These efforts help ensure that tax revenue is appropriately collected and contributes to the wellbeing of the Australian community.

The taskforce was instrumental in moving several large oil and gas companies into a tax payable position. Oil and gas companies contributed tax revenue of $4.4 billion, which was secured from public and multinational businesses for the 2022–23 financial year. Some oil and gas companies are now among the biggest taxpayers in Australia.

We welcome the transparency of the companies that have publicly stated they have settled their tax affairs with the ATO.

Results

As of 30 June 2024, the taskforce has helped us raise $38.7 billion in tax liabilities since it began on 1 July 2016.

In this period, the taskforce has helped:

• raise $22.8 billion in tax liabilities from public groups and multinationals
• raise $15.9 billion in tax liabilities from privately owned and wealthy groups
• collect a total of $21.9 billion in cash.

This revenue is used by the Australian Government to fund essential services, which may include education, health, and other community services.

The 2023–24 Tax Avoidance Taskforce highlights have further results for the last financial year.

Engagement and assurance

Compliance programs and other engagements with the taskforce populations work to ensure taxpaying businesses and individuals comply with Australian tax laws and pay the right amount of tax. The programs funded by the Tax Avoidance Taskforce include:

• Base Erosion and Profit Shifting – BEPS Action Plan
• Base Erosion and Profit Shifting – hybrid mismatch rules
• Base Erosion and Profit Shifting – Automatic exchange of information
• Commercial deals
• Criminal Law Program
• Diverted profits tax
• Foreign investment program
• International Risk Private Groups
• International Risk Public Groups
• Medium and emerging private groups tax performance program
• Medium and emerging public groups tax performance program
• Next 5,000 private groups tax performance program
• Private Equity
• Privately owned and wealthy groups
• Privately owned groups adviser strategy
• Public and multinational businesses adviser strategy
• Public business and international groups
• Tax schemes
• Top 100 justified trust program
• Top 500 private groups tax performance program
• Top 1,000 combined assurance program
• Top 1,00 Next Actions Program
• Trusts program
• Wealth program

Findings reports

We provide regular updates to the community on our work, including detailed findings reports for:

• Top 100 income tax and GST assurance programs
• Reportable tax position – public and multinational businesses
• Top 1,000 income tax and GST assurance programs
• Top 500 private groups tax performance program
• Next 5,000 program
• Public and multinational business settlements
• Public and multinational business advice and guidance program

Other updates include:

• Corporate tax transparency
• Business bulletins newsroom

Legislation

The taskforce assists implementation of legislation to ensure businesses pay the right amount of tax in Australia. Examples include:

• Multinational anti-avoidance law (MAAL)
• Diverted profits tax (DPT)
• Country-by-country reporting (CBC)
• General purpose financial statements (GPFS)
• Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)
• Common Reporting Standard (CRS)
• Multilateral Instrument (MLI)
• Significant global entities – penalties
• OECD hybrid mismatch rules
• Strengthening the foreign resident capital gains tax regime

Report schemes or concerning behaviour

Schemes or concerning behaviour can be confidentially reported to us by:

• completing the tip-off form on our website or in the ATO app' contact us' section
• phoning our tip-off hotline on 1800 060 062.

Join us

Be part of the Tax Avoidance Taskforce and help to prevent, detect and address tax avoidance to ensure the largest and wealthiest taxpayers pay the right amount of tax in Australia.

We are looking for the best and brightest! A career at the ATO provides challenging, interesting, and diverse opportunities for you.

The work you do will be meaningful, rewarding and make a difference to the lives of Australians.

Find out about the tax and data specialist roles we have on offer.