Rob Heferen, Commissioner of Taxation
Commissioner’s address at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry event
Melbourne 13 September 2024
(Check against delivery)
Introduction
Thank you David for the kind introduction and for having me today.
I’d like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land that we meet on, the Wurundjeri people here in Melbourne. I acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters, and community, and pay my respects to the people, the cultures, and the Elders past, present, and emerging.
I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had with many of you since becoming Commissioner, and I’m looking forward to today’s session.
I really value being able to meet with our partners in the system and hear firsthand about your experiences and expectations.
Conversely, I think this type of open dialogue is also incredibly useful for us as the regulator to make our own expectations clear to you.
Observations of the ATO
I thought it might be valuable for me to start today’s session with some high-level observations from my first 6 months in the Commissioner of Taxation role. I’m asked about my first impressions a lot, and a few things that have really stood out to me are:
- As an institution the ATO is well positioned to deliver its core remit, collecting the right amount of tax in accordance with the law in the most efficient way for the government and the taxpayer.
- There are well established oversight, assurance and decision-making structures that support me in executing my role and give me great confidence in the work that’s done by the ATO.
- The digital landscape continues to throw up new and emerging risks, particularly around digitally enabled identity crimes and fraud.
- It’s no secret that we have a way to go in addressing the levels of collectable debt that have almost doubled since 2019 and we continue to address this through a range of differentiated strategies.
