TPB readies for register transparency push
The Tax Practitioners Board will soon publish more detailed information about practitioners on its TPB register, as it looks to bed in a recommendation from its independent review.
The TPB will be making changes to its register to include further details about tax practitioners, including detailed reasons of any sanctions or terminations as well as reasons for rejections of renewal.
Currently, the TPB register includes details on the tax practitioner’s registration status, including periods of effect and reasons for sanctions, disqualification and termination.
However, those reasons are fairly general in nature and do not explain why the individual does not meet the registration requirements.
“The changes to the register will help increase the level of consumer protection we provide to consumers of taxation services,” said the TPB in an online update.
“This will ensure consumers are better informed and will help provide a ‘level playing field’ for all tax practitioners.”
The TPB register received 1.72 million searches in 2018–19.
The change comes after the independent review of the TPB raised the suggestion in its consultation paper.
The government has since been presented with the final report of the independent review but has yet to release its official response.
Once the government’s response has been released, the TPB will develop its new policy proposal to present to cabinet for final decisions about law, policy and resources.
The TPB review had examined a wide range of issues, including introducing new sanction tools to allow the TPB to be more agile in dealing with egregious or unregistered practitioners, and increasing the minimum primary education qualification for tax and BAS agents.
It also explored models to improve the effectiveness of the regulatory environment, including suggesting a return of the accountants’ exemption.
