Taxman hones act but workers lose out

THE taxman is using new technology to target a wider range of workers but many Australians are failing to dial up the refund they deserve.

Despite a surge in mobile phone use in recent years, tax accountants say employees often avoid claiming workrelated phone expenses because they don’t understand the rules or are daunted by complex bills.

However, they say workers can potentially reclaim hundreds of dollars on mobile phone bills averaging more than $ 700 annually for smartphones and about $ 500 for older models. The phone advice comes as the Australian Taxation Office says its ability to detect questionable tax claims is improving rapidly. Gone is the ATO’s annual hit list of occupations, instead replaced by a wider approach this year that examines all workers.

“We are finding we are getting higher- risk claims across all the industries; that’s why we are taking a much broader approach,” ATO assistant commissioner Adam Kendrick said.