ATO Debt Payment Plan

Are you receiving calls at 7am from the dreaded NO CALLER ID? Are you scared to answer the phone?

Living in fear of the ATO debt collectors is both tiring and stressful. We know this as clients come to us unable to sleep with worry. Though the ATO may seem heavy handed with their outreach, especially bearing in mind the effects of the pandemic, they have strongly reinforced their intention to work with taxpayers. Answering the phone may not be as scary as you think, and you’d likely be surprised to know how considerate they will be of people’s individual circumstances when taxpayers are prepared to pick up the phone and engage with them.

At Tax Assure we specialise in negotiating with the ATO, and pride ourselves on how we present the unique circumstances of each and every one of our clients to the Tax Office. Time after time we return with an ATO Debt Payment Plan tailored to our client’s cashflow needs, allowing you to repay your debt in a manner in which you feel comfortable. With over 50 years’ collective experience, coupled with the passion to help our clients to achieve the best possible outcomes, we know how to achieve repayment terms most favourable to your cashflow situation. Our approach takes into account the reasons that caused you to arrive at your debt position, and utilises our skills and experience to negotiate within the guidelines for what the ATO will consider to be an acceptable tax debt Payment Plan.

We are introduced to employees, sole traders, trustees and businesses small and large in all manner of different situations. In every case we are able to assist in negotiating an optimal tax debt Payment Plan or otherwise aiding with the appropriate actions for debt management. You may have received a Director Penalty Notice (DPN), demanding that the debt be paid in full within 21 days; you may have received calls and letters hastening you to repay or face further recovery action; or you may already be in a Payment Plan that you are finding difficult to keep up with. Your story does not need to end here. Whatever your ATO debt situation is, and whatever obstacles you foresee in paying the debt back, we would encourage you to speak with us and to see how we might be able to help.

The ATO have clearly communicated that it is time for them to move on from the pandemic now and they are moving back to pre-pandemic debt collection activity. Over 82,000 letters were sent out in April warning of upcoming issuance of DPNs and reporting of taxpayers to credit reporting agencies. Corporate insolvencies dropped by nearly 40% in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID relief measures, so the ATO is keen to make sure that taxpayers are solvent, for the sake of their employees and creditors. Unfortunately, many industries are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, not to mention import shortages, the war in Ukraine, labour shortages and the rising cost of fuel. You could be forgiven for wishing the ATO would leave you alone.

With the ATO ranking taxpayer engagement as one of their key focuses, burying your head in the sand is clearly not the best course of action. Avoiding the reality of your debt will only lead to stronger recovery action, which could have long lasting legal ramifications.

Rest assured, you are not alone, and help is available. Tax Assure can help you to address the ATO on your own terms and achieve an ATO Debt Payment Plan that you will feel comfortable agreeing to and will support the longevity of your business operation.