Tax Commissioner Michael D’Ascenzo said for the second year running more people filed their tax returns electronically than with paper.
More than 1.6 million people lodged online, Mr D’Ascenzo said, 75 per cent of them repeat users from the previous year.
And all of them were Windows users, because since the ATO started trialling eTax in 1997, the system has only been available for Windows users.
Mr D’Ascenzo said the ATO would over the next two years completely revamp the eTax platform, adding more functionality and making it accessible to anyone with access to the Internet.
The revamp is being carried out by IBM under a $4.4 million contract awarded to the company last December.
“Looking even further ahead we will redevelop e-tax to make it compatible with any computer system that has internet access,” Mr D’Ascenzo.
“We will test this with a small group of users in 2008, aiming to make it available more broadly in future years – pending the success of the trials.”
Mr D’Ascenzo said the eTax system had been expanded for this financial year to include an enhanced ability to download information from third-party sources. This will include more than 20 banks for interest data, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to assess pension payments, the Department of Eduction to assess allowances and Medicare for out of pocket medical expenses.
ETax users have already been able to download information from Centrelink, Medicare Australia, the Family Assistance Office.
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