Will everyone lodge on time??

With the looming tax deadline on 15 May I am wondering why I have heard no talk about an extension this year.

Last year (as in the years prior) the ATO announced a two week extension of time in which to lodge. At some point afterward, Tax Agents received a somewhat narky (sic) letter from the ATO partly blaming them for the apparent number of people who had not yet lodged even with the two week extension.

I wonder, will we get the same letter this year? If my lodgements are anything to go by we will. I have two more staff than last year and up to a couple of weeks ago there were still 155 people on my Tax Agents list with the ATO that had not yet contacted us to lodge their returns. A further reminder was sent. This has produced some panicked results but nothing like 155 taxpayers.

Now, it was not as if we were sitting around doing nothing when we sent out the letters, we have been extremely hectic. It seems as if as each year goes by, more and more taxpayers are leaving it until the last minute. Maybe it is a symptom of a much busier life that we all now lead?

We are telling people who are bring their ‘stuff’ to us from now on, that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to turn it around before 15 May. I hope to be able to but I will not promise them that we can. Last year we only had about half a dozen or so that didn’t make the deadline. This year I think that number will be between 20 and 50. Ouch!! I expect to get a friendly visit from my ATO Relationship Manager very soon!

Have any of you heard of an ATO extension? Are you all in the same boat or are you just much better organized than me (and all the other agents that I know)? Are you finding this year worse (ie busier and clients later) than last?

tax
rant