The Tax Commissioner, Chris Jordan, has flagged further changes within the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) designed to make it easier for Australians to access their tax details.
Jordan told a Tax Institute function last week that in the next couple of months the ATO would be releasing new superannuation functionality within its ATO app which would enable people to check their balances and change their personal details electronically.
The Tax Commissioner told the conference that the ATO had made some significant improvements in the area of superannuation, nominating the manner in which SuperSeeker gave individuals the ability to view all their active accounts for the previous two years, and make online requests to claim lost superannuation.
He also noted that improved account matching meant 94 per cent of lost accounts and 70 per cent of unclaimed superannuation accounts were now being matched to a tax file number (TFN).
As well, Jordan said the new Super Tick service had served to validate employer and member information, with the industry having estimated that this had saved them around $50 million each year.
Introducing a cooling off period in the process of switching super funds or moving money out of the sector could mitigate the potential loss to fraudulent behaviour, the outgoing ASIC Chair said.
Widespread member disengagement is having a detrimental impact on retirement confidence, AMP research has found.
Economists have warned inflation risks remain elevated even as the RBA signals policy is sitting near neutral after its latest hold.
Australia’s superannuation funds are becoming a defining force in shaping the nation’s capital markets, with the corporate watchdog warning that trustees now hold systemic importance on par with banks.