ATO offers Australians helping hand

HELP is coming to Townsville this tax time.

The Australian Taxation Office is helping taxpayers to get their tax returns right through pop-up shops and a Tax Help program in Townsville.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Karen Foat said staff at pop-up shops could explain the benefits of going digital, while the Tax Help program helped those on low incomes with simple tax affairs to do their return.

The ATO will be at Stockland Townsville with a pop-up shop today, providing face-toface advice, guidance and support.

Staff at the pop-up shops will demonstrate the ATO’S online lodgement tool, mytax, and the smartphone app’s myDeductions tool.

Taxpayers will also be able to link their mygov account to the ATO, find lost super, lodge tax returns, apply for a tax file number and track the progress of their return.

If you are planning to do your own return, Ms Foat said the ATO’S online lodgement tool, mytax, was a fast, easy and secure solution.

“Most people can lodge through mytax in less than half an hour and you no longer have to worry about lost or faded receipts. Use our mydeductions tool to snap, save and store receipts to keep track of your expenses,” Ms Foat said. At tax time, taxpayers can upload data from the mydeductions tool to mytax or send it to their registered tax agent.

The ATO’S Tax Help program features volunteers who help taxpayers with simple tax affairs earning under $60,000.

If you’re eligible for Tax Help, you will need a mygov account linked to the ATO. If necessary, volunteers can help you create your mygov account and link it to the ATO.

When you are ready to make an appointment, phone 13 28 61 for your nearest Tax Help centre.

Find more details on the Tax Help program here: ato.gov.au/taxhelp.