Small businesses are to be afforded the ability to apply to the Small Business Taxation Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (‘the Tribunal’) for orders to stay (i.e., temporarily suspend) specific ATO debt recovery actions. Broadly, amending legislation will allow the Tribunal to make such an order only if the proceeding is brought under the Small Business Taxation Division of the Tribunal.
This proposal (initially announced in the most recent Federal Budget) aims to provide small business entities (‘SBEs’) with a cheaper and easier way to pause the effects of an ATO decision to recover a tax debt whilst their tax dispute is being considered.
