Submission to the National Tax Clinic Program – Consultation Paper
FCVic strongly supports the National Tax Clinic Program and welcomes the commitment to expand the number of clinics by 5 from 1 January 2025.
We recognise the significant challenges faced by small business owners and vulnerable individuals in financial difficulty, when their tax affairs are not up to date. In the case of small business owners, this can result in a business’ tax liability being imposed on the individual owner and may restrict a business owner’s access to Centrelink benefits if business tax returns are outstanding. In those cases, small business owners unable to afford the cost of a tax accountant are reliant on the support provided through the Tax Clinics.
We acknowledge the key activities of the National Tax Clinic program. We believe that the program must primarily address the need for small business owners to lodge outstanding tax returns.
Our submission to the National Tax Clinic Program – Consultation Paper provides feedback and recommendations to ensure the program can best and support financially vulnerable individuals and small businesses.