Tax Debt via Text Message (SMS)

The ATO have a new plan for chasing tax debts!

So you have a Tax Debt

Maybe you weren’t aware, or maybe you were but you don’t want to pay it right now, well you may need to put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb” …

Tax Debt via Test Message

The ATO have advised they are now using Test Messages to remind people they have a tax debt AND to chase payment.
I know SMSs are used a huge amount by everyone these days but, I am not a fan of receiving them from businesses advertising and I can’t imagine it would be overly pleasant to receive them from the ATO telling me to “Pay Up or Else!”.
The ATO have advised if you receive a message purporting to be from them, you can check the list of the ATO’s current activities on its website at ATO Online Services to confirm it is legitimate (you can do this by following this link).  Again, this is not something I would look forward to having to do.

Beware Scammers trying the same trick

If you do receive such a message, remember –

• The ATO will never ask you to reply directly to a message,
• The ATO will never ask you to supply your Tax File Number (“TFN”) or Bank Details.

If you have any doubts about a text you receive, or otherwise if you suspect you may have a tax debt but aren’t sure, give us a call and we will log into the ATO system and confirm your situation.

What to do if the tax debt is real

If you do actually owe something, we can talk you through the process of how to pay it, or if required, help you negotiate a payment plan.
We can also help you understand your likely future tax debts and help you plan for them …