The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced it will access vehicle purchasing data to determine taxation compliance in individuals and businesses.

“The Australian Taxation Office will acquire motor vehicle registry data from state and territory motor vehicle registry authorities for 2019-20 through to 2021-22,” the ATO wrote in a policy notice.

The data items include identification details such as names, addresses and ABN’s for sole traders and business owners, as well as transaction details including the sale price of the vehicle, make and model, and whether the buyer received a stamp duty exception – among other things.

The ATO estimates that the records of approximately 1.5 million individuals will be obtained each financial year. This information will then be cross-checked against registration data from the ATO’s internal data holdings to determine compliance with taxation obligations.

The primary objectives of the program are to identify, educate or deal with “those taxpayers who have not met their obligations primarily with regards to GST, fringe benefits tax, luxury car tax, fuel schemes and income tax.”

A document describing the program is available at ato.gov.au/dmprotocols 

Source: CarAdvice | Vehicle registrations under scrutiny in new ATO move to catch tax evaders

25 January 2021