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Australian Bookkeepers Association (ABA) slams changes to BAS Agent Code of Conduct rules, with thousands of bookkeepers calling out 'disrespectful' and 'clumsy' reforms.
Over 2000 bookkeepers have signed a petition rallying against Code of Conduct reforms that were due to take effect on 1 August with little to no industry consultation which industry group, the Australian Bookkeepers Association (ABA), says is ‘completely disrespectful’ and ‘harmful’.
ABA Director, Peter Thorp, slams Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones, for running roughshod over an industry increasingly under attack by regulatory and technological change.
“It’s astonishing that powers have been given to a single politician to write and enact a legislative instrument that makes such significant changes to industry-wide rules without any due process,” said Peter. “This knee jerk reaction to PWC misconduct has resulted in demonising an entire industry of predominantly sole traders who are now fed up and threatening to leave”.
“There has been no other industry that has seen so much change in such a short amount of time, with a tidal wave of new government rules and technology demands,” continued Peter. “Now we’re being asked to dob on our colleagues and threatened like we’re all potential criminals; it’s no wonder bookkeepers have had enough.”
So frustrated is the industry with the legislative Instrument, which is called the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024, that the ABA was recently forced to turn away guests to a webinar hosted on the issues, with attendance capped at 1000 people.
Most troubling to attendees were the vagaries and uncertainties around the wording, duplication of code items, contradiction with existing legislation, lack of industry consultation and the insufficient time for the regulator and profession to adopt.
Comments captured at the webinar had guests saying “I’m selling up”, “I regret joining this profession”, “I can’t afford to fund the red tape” and “Compliance obligations are now far too high to stay in this industry”.
“Our concern is that if this initiative proves to be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back, there could be a significant departure from the industry,” said Peter. “That obviously has a flow on effect to small businesses, as who is going to do the work and at what cost?”
“The ATO risks more businesses attempting self-lodgement and then lodgement quality will go down along with the ATO coffers,” continued Peter. “There are the small businesses who’ll be starved of timely financial reporting that will struggle or fail.”
“Bookkeepers can’t afford more red tape, they need a medal for keeping the wheels turning through Jobkeeper, Boost, Single Touch Payroll, and the introduction of Client-Agent-Linking” said Peter.
