ATO
declines
to
certify tax software |
|
By Benjamin Woodhead
iTnews Story |
Friday, August 17, 2001 |
The
ATO has washed its hands of Australia’s tax accounting software debacle
saying it will not introduce a certification program to ensure tax
agents are spared ongoing compliance problems with major accounting
packages. “It’s not our responsibility, it’s their [the software vendor’s]
responsibility to ensure their software does what it claims it can
do,” said an ATO spokesperson. “We managed to sort out our software
and get it working so obviously the software vendors didn’t do a very
good job. “
Also, not all the vendors had problems so it obviously wasn’t impossible
for them to change.” Tax accountants and agencies around Australia
have been hit by a series of major problems with accounting packages
from a number of vendors, including embattled operator MYOB, that
have forced the ATO to extend BAS deadlines for accountants using
the worst affected programs.
One of the biggest embarrassments for MYOB saw H&R Block rip out its
roll out from the vendor in mid July and replace it with software
from rival Elite. H&R Block had up to 1200 MYOB users who had been
trained on the package in June and then had to be retrained in July.
Accountants, led by law firm Philips Fox are also building a class
action suit against MYOB over problems with the package. H&R Block
declined to comment on whether or not it will pursue legal action. |
|
