Tax Agents Terminated by the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB)

The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) regulates tax practitioners and administers the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA). They want to protect the consumers of tax practitioner services by ensuring:

• Tax practitioners have the appropriate skills and knowledge to provide tax agent services competently.
• Registered tax practitioners are aware of and understand their obligations.
• Only registered practitioners provide tax services.

The TPB takes firm action if it determines that registered practitioners have not complied with their obligations under the TASA, including the Code of Professional Conduct (Code).

Over the last 12 months the TPB has terminated the registrations of tax agents for the following breaches:

• Preparing and lodging documents on behalf of clients without their knowledge and authorisation.
• Failing to account for ATO refunds and credits to clients.
• Altering tax invoices.
• Failing to take reasonable care to ensure that taxation laws are applied correctly to the circumstances of clients.
• Repeated failures to comply with personal tax obligations.
• Bankruptcy.