Tax return outrage: Ratepayers hit out at Australian Taxation Office after forced to wait in an online queue
Dozens of Aussies forced to wait in online queues to file their tax returns compared it to trying to buy coveted Taylor Swift tickets.
Australians have expressed outrage after being forced to wait in line for more than an hour to fill out their tax returns, which some compared to buying tickets to a Taylor Swift concert.
Dozens of people have taken to social media in recent days to criticize the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) when they were met with ‘Tight! You are in a queue’ message when trying to log into their myGov account.
‘To ensure the best experience when you access our online services, we are currently managing the number of people who can login.’ Thanks for your patience,’ the message read.
Rate-payers were left frustrated as they waited in a virtual queue (pictured) while trying to file their tax returns.
Taxpayers likened the experience to queuing for Taylor Swift tickets, with thousands of Aussies waiting in virtual queues for hours for the chance to buy highly coveted tickets to the pop sensation’s Eras tour.
‘There’s a queue on the website too, it’s harder to get in than tickets,’ wrote one.
‘This is also in the queue to enter the site. Got Taylor Swift tickets?’ Another joked.
‘My own personal Taylor Swift ticket queue waiting for the ATO site to load at 8am on July 1st,’ said another.
Tax lawyer Anatoly Dubinin condemned the queue system after Australians were outraged.
‘They (too) simply don’t bother to create better services for taxpayers,’ he wrote.
An ATO spokeswoman said the waiting room system was used to ‘help manage user traffic and ensure system functionality for ATO Online users’.
‘The online waiting room has also been operational since April 2020 and is a tool to ensure continuity of service in the event of excessive demand or unforeseen events affecting system performance’.
‘It’s a standard approach that many organizations use to manage the online user experience. This means some users are still able to access our online services without issue, while others are put in a queue waiting to access the services.’
They added: ‘We remind taxpayers that waiting until the end of July allows the ATO to collect information from banks, financial institutions, private health insurers and government agencies to make the lodgement process simpler and easier and any tax refunds arrive faster.’
The deadline for Australians to file their tax returns is 31 October.
Dozens compared the experience of queuing for highly coveted Taylor Swift (pictured) tickets.
Many Aussies have expressed their displeasure at receiving expected tax returns.
Last week, a young miner ranting about his paltry tax return went viral on TikTok.
Tyrone Northop, 23, released an explosive-laden spray on ATO and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
‘How do I owe the ATO $2,000 when I paid them $48,000?’, he shouted at the cameras.
“The government is doing everything as usual. You should be ashamed.
Workers were warned to expect lower-than-expected returns this year after the Morrison government scrapped the Low-Middle-Income Tax Offset (LMITO) in 2022.
LMITO provides a tax break of up to $1,500 for people earning up to $126,000.
It was originally introduced in the 2018-19 budget, expanded during the pandemic and then increased by the Morrison government – and supported by the then opposition.
But it was only temporary and it expired at the end of the last tax year, on 30 June 2022.
Still, many lower- and middle-income earners won’t know about it until they file their tax returns this year, when they could see their tax refunds drop between $675 and $1,500.