Thread: ATO

Originally Posted by rustynail

It would appear the ATO are very particular about how payments are sent to them.
Some years ago, my uncle, a retired bank inspector, was having issue with the ATO over an assessment. The ATO eventually saw reason and reviewed the amount owing but demanded instant settlement. My uncle dutifully wrote out a cheque on a piece of toilet paper and sent it away. The ATO refused to accept the "cheque." My uncle informed them it was perfectly legal tender and they could present it to the bank. He never heard another word.

Not sure about toilet paper cheques, but they ATO are fussy about the accounts you make you payments too. I have so many ATO numbers, Income Tax Account , Integrated Client Account, PAYG account, payroll tax account.... Stuff one up, they dont tell you that one account overpaid but they harass you with legal action if one account is underpaid.

Hand written cheques are perfectly legal instruments.

The ATO wont need some fancy payee when it comes to the crunch. They will just take it and the banks will willingly give: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevefor...y-happen-here/

Originally Posted by Evanism

Hand written cheques are perfectly legal instruments.

In this day and age of fraud, I doubt that very much.

Originally Posted by Pearo

In this day and age of fraud, I doubt that very much.

I still write out cheques regularly and they are always handwritten.

Further the Bills of Exchange Act of 1909 , as amended, never envisaged that cheques could be issued except being handwritten.

Amazing that this minor fact learned in my youth when working in a bank can still be useful in my old age.


Peter.

Away from the thread a tad, but cheques are just a negotiable instrument.

It is EXACTLY the same as you signing an old fashioned withdrawal slip and giving it to your grandmother to use while you're in Bali. As long as it identifies the account name, bank, branch, account number, has a date (all instruments expire) and a signature it is legal as an instrument. A cheque is simply a formalisation of this process - it carries a name and presenting conditions (negotiating/crossing, payee only, etc, etc) to ensure only your grandmother can fleece you.

You could put the details on a pizza box and a depositing bank must honour it. What the bank you give it to DOES with it is another matter... If might take a while to clear, but it would eventually. But you could take that pizza box to the branch it's drawn on and you have an entirely legal cheque/withdrawal.

I worked for a number of years in the forex, bills, bonds and instruments area of the CBA and worked with a huge array of stored value things most people have never heard of. It was pretty elite and back then, very yuppy.

Heres an example... You might remember your old office accountant would have a book of company branded and printed non-MICR cheques for "emergencies"? Same thing.

Present any of them now and all bank staff would just stare at you blankly. They have no skills and just sell set products. Monkeys with typewriters.

Their incapacity to understand the system they work in (or even what "money" is) is appalling, but their ignorance is no excuse.... So start saving those pizza boxes!

Originally Posted by Sturdee

I still write out cheques regularly and they are always handwritten.

Further the Bills of Exchange Act of 1909 , as amended, never envisaged that cheques could be issued except being handwritten.

Amazing that this minor fact learned in my youth when working in a bank can still be useful in my old age.


Peter.

When you say handwritten cheque, you are not talking about presenting someone with something written on toilet paper however.


FWIW, I saw an older lady in the post office the other day, whilst I can be certain, I am sure she was using an old school bank book as per what you did before ATM's were commonplace and before fancy stuff like bpay and internet banking.

The burning question here is, when does paper become toilet paper?
My uncle had a wonderful collection of photographs of "cheques" that had been presented to him by bank employees for validation. Provided they contained the necessary information they were passed. Much of his working time was spent in the gold fields, so some of these cheques were for substantial sums of money. In most cases, the issuer was well known to my uncle. As was he to the ATO.

A new payee appeared in my Westpac account today, ATO. Looks like they are getting ready to pounce. Lucky for me there's usually not much in it to take.

steve

http://www.westpac.com.au/personal-b...-banking-faqs/

"You can’t delete The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)"

Looks like they are going for a good old fashioned Cyprus-style smash and grab.

Originally Posted by Evanism

http://www.westpac.com.au/personal-b...-banking-faqs/

"You can’t delete The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)"

Looks like they are going for a good old fashioned Cyprus-style smash and grab.

Thanks Evanisam that is I am sure new info since my phone call to Westpac covering their rear I believe its called ......Now all we need is a Gov dept to tell us why.

Originally Posted by Pearo

Not sure about toilet paper cheques, but they ATO are fussy about the accounts you make you payments too. I have so many ATO numbers, Income Tax Account , Integrated Client Account, PAYG account, payroll tax account.... Stuff one up, they dont tell you that one account overpaid but they harass you with legal action if one account is underpaid.

It is a real pain getting the right one and I am always worried I will stuff it up but so far so good. I haven't noticed if there is a strange one there or not and I have little interest truth be told. I paid them the outstanding this financial year about two weeks ago and lo and behold I got a cheque in the mail giving me back over twice what I had just paid. Apparently they are slowly going through all super fund accounts and repaying the government bonus that was on offer some years ago.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

It is a real pain getting the right one and I am always worried I will stuff it up but so far so good. I haven't noticed if there is a strange one there or not and I have little interest truth be told. I paid them the outstanding this financial year about two weeks ago and lo and behold I got a cheque in the mail giving me back over twice what I had just paid. Apparently they are slowly going through all super fund accounts and repaying the government bonus that was on offer some years ago.

Nice so more tools bought Chris?

That would be nice if they paid everyone

No such luck Ray. I have a Hammer A3-31 I just took delivery of and I can't see me even thinking about firing it up for quite some time due to my ongoing health issues. I shoved it through the door and there it sits. The idea of woodwork or anything resembling physical effort is just that, an idea. Sigh...such is life.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

No such luck Ray. I have a Hammer A3-31 I just took delivery of and I can't see me even thinking about firing it up for quite some time due to my ongoing health issues. I shoved it through the door and there it sits. The idea of woodwork or anything resembling physical effort is just that, an idea. Sigh...such is life.

You'll get there Chris