Australian Taxation Office (ATO) About
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is the principal revenue collection agency of the Australian Government.
The ATO's role is to effectively manage and shape the tax and superannuation systems that support and fund services for Australians, including: - Collecting revenue
- Administering the goods and services tax (GST) on behalf of the Australian states and territories
- Administering a range of programs that provide transfers and benefits to the community
- Administering the major aspects of Australia’s superannuation system
- Being custodian of the Australian Business Register. The ATO operates under the Public Governance, Performance
and Accountability Act 2013, within the Treasury portfolio, and are accountable under the Public Service Act 1999.
What kind of work?
Legal staff at the ATO are involved in: - Shaping tax law, policy and design
- Managing litigation cases and clarifying the law - Managing interpretative advice and guidance
- Enhancing relationships with professional bodies, consultative forums and the community
- Working with other business areas across the ATO to provide advice and clarity on law.
Location
All capital cities
Student Opportunities
The ATO run a program for university students called the University Partnership Employment Program. Under the
program, students are offered a casual contract of up to 12 months and the opportunity to do work that involves research,
administration andbusiness support relevant to students studying business, commerce, law, design, economics, project management, information technology, marketing, or statistics.
Students are expected to work during normal business hours, one or two days a week, with more work offered during university break.
You can find more information here:
Graduate Opportunities
The ATO offers a 12 month graduate program. Graduates
with a law degree are encouraged to apply for the taxation
stream. Your role in the taxation team will be to manage and shape the tax and superannuation systems by helping people understand their rights and obligations. Taxation graduates work in a team to:
- Obtain information and provide advice to clients
- Conduct a range of client engagement activities including risk reviews and audits
- Make decisions and recommendations for mitigation
strategies
- Administer the good and services tax (GST)
- Research and analyse tax information and procedures - Interpret taxation legislation and procedures - Administer the superannuation system. You can find more information here:
https://www.ato.gov.au/About-ATO/Careers/Entry-levelprograms/The-ATO-Graduate-program/#Taxation
Applications open in March each year for the following year.
The ATO also mainatin a temporary employment register. You can find more information here: https://ato.nga.net.au/cp/
Fun Fact / Recent Project Tax Help
Tax Help is a network of ATO-trained and accredited
community volunteers who provide a free and confidential service to help people earning less than $60,000 per year
with simple affairs to complete their tax returns online
using myTax. Tax Help volunteers can help people lodge their tax return, make an amendment online or claim a refund of franking credits.
https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/careers/entry-levelprograms/university-partnership-employment-program/
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