Compromised TFNs Still a Problem, Says Ombudsman

The Commonwealth Ombudsman, Allan Asher, has released a report which expressed his concerns about how the Tax Office had handled complaints about compromised tax file numbers (TFNs). The report examined eight cases where taxpayers' TFNs had been compromised or incorrectly linked by the Tax Office to another person's TFN.

Mr Asher made reference to the case of Mrs D. He said her difficulties began when the Tax Office wrongly determined she had two TFNs which led to income being incorrectly attributed to her. This was upsetting for Mrs D and difficult to resolve, Mr Asher said. The Tax Office said it has already taken action to improve its response to TFN compromises. However, Mr Asher said, based on further complaints he had received, the problems ‘are far from solved and the actions taken by the ATO to date, while a start, do not fully address our concerns’. 

TIP: If you believe your TFN has been compromised or incorrectly linked to another person's TFN, please contact our office.