The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has put measures in place that it hopes will prevent a repeat of last year’s tax-time woes, when its online MyTax application struggled to keep up with the end of financial year load.
The ATO announced yesterday that its desktop application, E-tax, will no longer be available. The decision means that the Web-based MyTax will be the only option for individuals looking to lodge their own returns.
Additional functionality for MyTax means that all features required for an individual’s tax return will be available when the latest version goes live on 1 July.
“For example, not only will Australians with rental properties be able to use MyTax this year, but they will also be able to take advantage of the fully integrated tools and calculators,” said ATO assistant commissioner Graham Whyte.
“One of these new tools allows property investors to record depreciation and capital allowances.”
The ATO has said that it expects around 3 million tax returns to be lodged using MyTax, based on the combined E-Tax and MyTax lodgements in 2015.
Last year people struggled to use MyTax, with the system struggling under the EOFY load.
“We have improved the system to cater for the issues experienced last year,” an ATO spokesperson said.
“Development and testing processes have been improved and processing capacity has been increased to better cater for peak times.
“In the event of any unexpected issues arising, response teams will be immediately mobilised to resolve these as quickly as possible.”
“We understand sometimes it can be hard to change habits, especially for those who have been using E-tax since its launch in 1999,” Whyte said.
“What we would say to those who are a bit unsure about MyTax is to give it a go: you’ll probably have your tax return lodged in a fraction of the time.”