Newsletter
March 2019 Newsletter
ATO says it is committed to mental health support for small business
The pressure of meeting tax and superannuation obligations can be daunting for small business owners. In order to help small business owners to relieve these mental hardships, the ATO, together with organisations such as Beyond Blue and ASBFEO, are developing initiatives to help support and keep their businesses on track.
Deputy Commissioner, Deborah Jenkins, mentioned “We understand that long hours, cash flow pressures, endless paperwork, staff issues and the blurring boundaries between work and family life can take a toll on mental health”. With that in mind, nearly 6,000 staff from the ATO have already undertaken training to assist them in better understanding mental health issues and showing empathy for taxpayers who are struggling.
Managing debt is one of the biggest contributor of stress and the ATO has made it easier for small business owners to negotiate and enter into payment plans if they need them. In the last year, the ATO has successful negotiated 790,000 payment plans to help small business manage their tax debts.
She also added this year’s primary focus would be to provide early engagement and support before debts are due.
Source: http://www.pubacct.org.au/news/ato-says-committed-mental-health-support-small-business