Message from the Chair

I would like to introduce our new Secretary of the Board, Mark Maskell. Mark joined us on 12 April 2010. The Board extends a warm welcome to Mark and looks forward to working closely with him and the staff made available to the Board as the Secretariat. Mark brings a wide range of experience to the role. Working together, our goal is to bring tax agents and BAS agents together under a single regulatory framework for the benefit of all Australians. This is an exciting task.

In my last message, I mentioned that the Board were about to release a number of exposure drafts. These are listed below and are now available on our website. I encourage you to all have a look at these exposure drafts and to take advantage of the 60 day comment period to provide the Board with feedback. Once we have feedback we will try to finalise the information sheets as soon as possible.

The exposure drafts deal with the following topics:

– what is a course in commercial law that is approved by the Board;
– what is a course in Australian taxation law that is approved by the Board;
– the Code of Professional Conduct;
– what is a fit and proper person; and
– the Board’s interim approach about what is a course in basic GST/BAS taxation principles that is approved by the Board. 
 

The exposure draft, dealing with a course in basic GST/BAS taxation principles outlines the Board’s interim approach to what is a course in basic GST/BAS taxation principles that can be approved by the Board. As an interim measure, until 29 February 2012, the Board will accept that the BAS unit “FNSBKPG404A Carry out Business Activity Statements and Instalment Activity Statements” in the Certificate IV Financial Services (Bookkeeping) and Certificate IV Financial Services (Accounting) courses is an approved course for the purposes of a course in basic GST/BAS taxation principles.

If you believe that an alternative course that you have undertaken should be approved by the Board, such as a course in basic GST/BAS taxation principles or course in commercial law, you should include a submission with your application for registration. The Board will consider any such submission on their merits.

Our website, www.tpb.gov.au, is updated regularly to provide the most up to date information.  A recent inclusion on our website is a speech I delivered at the Australian School of Taxation’s (ATAX) 9th Tax Administration Conference earlier this month. This Conference was a great opportunity for me to speak about the work of the Board and to explain the important changes and improvements to the law to ensure consistency in the registration and regulation of tax agents and BAS agents throughout Australia. We also released a new information sheet dealing with ‘Supervisory arrangements and supervision and control’ and published a draft report from the Board’s inaugural Consultative Forum in March.

Finally, Canberra based staff of the Board have now moved to their new premises which will bring the team together in the one location. The new office is located in Moore St, Canberra City, and will be the location for the next Board meeting on 27th and 28th April. This will give us our own place and greatly facilitates the aims of the Board and enhances the shift in administration for the registration of agents to the Board.

Dale Boucher
Chair, Tax Practitioners Board
22 April 2010