In a much needed concession to BAS Agents the Tax Office has now made public the news that BAS Agents will now receive the same extensions for electronic lodgement as is currently enjoyed by Tax Agents. This is a concession that the members of the BAG (Bookkeepers Advisory Group), including the Tax Office members present, had supported and been working towards for some time. The concession was unable to be granted until BAS Agents were formerly recognised as lodging parties under the recently enacted Tax Agent Services Act. ABN was pleased to be a part of the process that saw these extensions earned for bookkeepers. The Tax Office must also be commended as they too got behind this cause once the plight of the BAS lodging bookkeeper was fully understood. ABN would like to thank those ABN members who provided us with feedback on the extension issue as this bolstered our submission and added a human aspect to the need for extensions.

 

Extensions will commence from 1 July 2010 and apply for the 2010/2011 Agents Lodgement Program onwards. BAS Agents (including transitional registrants) who electronically lodge will receive a further 2 week extension for the September, March and June quarters (i.e. 8 weeks from the end of the quarter/4 weeks from the date on Activity Statement). The December quarter currently enjoys an 8 week extension and this will remain. The additional extension will see a 4 week extension granted to BAS Agents for quarterly BAS's which are lodged electronically. No further extensions beyond the current 21 day extension will be granted to monthly lodgers. Importantly this change will put BAS Agents on the same footing as Tax Agents as far as Activity Statement lodgement extensions are concerned. 

 

BAS Agents will now be better placed to plan their workloads around the BAS lodgement requirements of their clients. This will no doubt mean more reasonable work hours and the return of some quality of life to BAS lodgers during BAS season.