June 30th saw the end of the financial year here in Australia, so I lumbered into the ATO website to download their eTax online program to submit my tax return, as I’ve done every year since the interweb was invented.
But lo and behold, they’ve got a NEW program, called myTax, and it’s phenomenally simpler than the old version (which was also bog simple, and took maybe a half-hour to complete). This new one though took me all of FOUR MINUTES!!!
I’m just a regular schlepper, working and getting tax deducted from my pay, and with some nice ‘deductibles’ because I work from home and pay all my own office expenses. But it was so sweet and easy! Normally when I log on to do my tax-return, I pour a BIG glass of wine to get me through the (hah) ordeal. I barely got four sips in before I hit ‘submit’.
So, goodonya ATO. You’ve done good!
Oh, and it’s even gooder that I’m getting a bigger tax return than I anticipated!!
I haven’t got started yet, my sister claimed it was more painful. Discomfort will result no matter what - I will owe a chunk, as I don’t pay tax as I earn.
That’s sharp timing on getting your Group Certificate!
I understand from a letter I got from the ATO, that eTax is still there if needed for a more complicated return. With myTax for simple ones. So Four minutes? excellent. Less work for me since I invariably wind up doing both my wife’s and mine.
Nice work. I don’t have my payment summary yet and from experience it takes at least a month for all the various info to flow into the ATO from banks etc.
I like to use the prefill option so I can see what info the government already knows about me. What they don’t know, I see no need to enlighten them about unless it benefits me.
