Here are our 3 episodes covering the ATO debt process.

In the age of FAKE NEWS, brave souls are needed to fight through the noise and give accountants in practice the support and information they deserve. 
David Boyar and Paul Meissner share a passion for the role Accountants play in the Australian economy. As the engine room of the economy, small - medium businesses rely on their accountant for technical knowledge, business acumen and professional (and often personal) support. As the way accountants work (through technology) and service (through new services like Virtual CFOs) changes, we have to ask If accountants are helping their client’s, who is helping Accountants? 

If you read the Accounting Industry news and listen to the industry leaders then the Accounting industry is at war. It’s a war against technology, the ATO and even UBER (apparently). The problem is that most of the leaders have never worked in practice. They are subject matter experts but can't offer the perspective of someone who had to actually have conversations with clients about implementing technology, actually moved to value pricing, actually compared technology features and how an entire team may be impacted by them. 

Each week in this podcast, 2 plucky Chartered Accountants will bring you the real stories ‘from the trenches’. This no holes barred, feisty, yet humorous take on the Accounting landscape will be entertaining while sending a message to the scaremongers, that the FAKE NEWS must end. By following a simple podcast formula, David and Paul will deliver rapid value straight to your earphones. With segments like ‘best and worst of the week’, ‘Fake News exposed’ and a the rapid format ‘5 questions in 5 minutes’ special guest interviews, what more could you want. This podcast won’t be for the faint hearted.

https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/

From The Trenches

In the age of FAKE NEWS, brave souls are needed to fight through the noise and give accountants in practice the support and information they deserve. 

David Boyar and Paul Meissner share a passion for the role Accountants play in the Australian economy. As the engine room of the economy, small - medium businesses rely on their accountant for technical knowledge, business acumen and professional (and often personal) support. As the way accountants work (through technology) and service (through new services like Virtual CFOs) changes, we have to ask If accountants are helping their client’s, who is helping Accountants? If you read the Accounting Industry news and listen to the industry leaders then the Accounting industry is at war. 

It’s a war against technology, the ATO and even UBER (apparently). The problem is that most of the leaders have never worked in practice. They are subject matter experts but can't offer the perspective of someone who had to actually have conversations with clients about implementing technology, actually moved to value pricing, actually compared technology features and how an entire team may be impacted by them. Each week in this podcast, 2 plucky Chartered Accountants will bring you the real stories ‘from the trenches’. 

This no holes barred, feisty, yet humorous take on the Accounting landscape will be entertaining while sending a message to the scaremongers, that the FAKE NEWS must end. By following a simple podcast formula, David and Paul will deliver rapid value straight to your earphones. With segments like ‘best and worst of the week’, ‘Fake News exposed’ and a the rapid format ‘5 questions in 5 minutes’ special guest interviews, what more could you want. 

This podcast won’t be for the faint hearted. https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/

In the age of FAKE NEWS, brave souls are needed to fight through the noise and give accountants in practice the support and information they deserve. David Boyar and Paul Meissner share a passion for the role Accountants play in the Australian economy. As the engine room of the economy, small - medium businesses rely on their accountant for technical knowledge, business acumen and professional (and often personal) support. As the way accountants work (through technology) and service (through new services like Virtual CFOs) changes, we have to ask If accountants are helping their client’s, who is helping Accountants? If you read the Accounting Industry news and listen to the industry leaders then the Accounting industry is at war. It’s a war against technology, the ATO and even UBER (apparently). The problem is that most of the leaders have never worked in practice. They are subject matter experts but can't offer the perspective of someone who had to actually have conversations with clients about implementing technology, actually moved to value pricing, actually compared technology features and how an entire team may be impacted by them. Each week in this podcast, 2 plucky Chartered Accountants will bring you the real stories ‘from the trenches’. This no holes barred, feisty, yet humorous take on the Accounting landscape will be entertaining while sending a message to the scaremongers, that the FAKE NEWS must end. By following a simple podcast formula, David and Paul will deliver rapid value straight to your earphones. With segments like ‘best and worst of the week’, ‘Fake News exposed’ and a the rapid format ‘5 questions in 5 minutes’ special guest interviews, what more could you want. This podcast won’t be for the faint hearted. https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/

ATO Scandal

Best on Ground

Worst on Ground

Indepth

Best on Ground
Head down to Accounting Business Expo to see David MCing the Business and Finance Theatre - Wednesday March 20 2019, ICC, Sydney - And if you are an FTT listener heading down, check out David's interview with ATO Assistant Commissioner of SMSF’s Dana Fleming and if you let us know beforehand, David will give you a shout out on stage! https://www.accountingbusiness.com.au/
Following last week's videos to promote better business, Deloitte are producing a topic featuring their own female leaders to promote women entering the STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering Maths): https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/deloitte-ellaengineer-comic-book-collab-stem.html?id=us:2sm:3tw:4ellapr::6cons:20190226161100:&utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=ellapr&utm_content=cons&utm_medium=social&linkId=64080881
Earn Qantas points when you pay your accounting fees with Deloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/deloitte-private/articles/qantas-business-rewards.html
You never have all the right information to tell the full story: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6507513599555096576
It’s ok to have a ‘’work voice’’ says David as Elizabeth Holmes is busted for changing her voice to a baritone for business purposes: https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-desperate-deceptions/news-story/c27d04362607d5a66f3fe2b61debe49a
The Gamification of Tax Compliance! https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/03/02/governments-use-receipt-lotteries-to-boost-tax-compliance

Worst on Ground


ATO has put its hand up and enforced the super amnesty despite its botched process into legislation:https://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace/ato-set-to-waive-unpaid-superannuation-penalties-in-wake-of-botched-amnesty-20190305-p511yn.html
Despite Paul’s initial claim, it turns out accountants can learn from tech startups: https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/5-lessons-accountants-can-learn-from-tech-startups
Korda Mentha Acquire Learning was solvent, despite Acquire paying Korda’s bill late: https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/boom-1-million-for-the-boys-acquire-eyed-success-ahead-of-fall-20190306-p5128m.html
The law doesn't care about your buzzwords. Aldi replaced “Employer” with “Leader”: https://www.afr.com/news/policy/industrial-relations/aldi-enterprise-agreements-torpedoed-over-a-one-word-change-20190301-h1bvck?&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nc&eid=socialn:fac-14omn0053-optim-nnn:nonpaid-25/06/2014-social_traffic-all-organicpost-nnn-afr-o&campaign_code=nocode&promote_channel=social_facebook

 

Indepth: ATO Scandal Part 3

Following the ATO’s scandal last year a parliamentary committee has made 37 recommendations for changes into the ATO handling of disputes.

See linked episodes:
ATO Scandal: Part 1
ATO Scandal: Part 2

The recommendations have some good and some bad, so in true FTT style, David and Paul try to work out which ones will work and which won't.

Check our our interview with Debt Commissioner Robert Ravanello here.

You can check the full list of recommendations here.

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Tax_and_Revenue/2016-17AnnualReport/Report/section?id=committees/reportrep/024240/26793&_lrsc=396f93d4-9f23-423f-8f1e-61c0bcc004de&trk=elevate_li

Best on Ground
<ul>
<li>Head down to <a href="https://www.accountingbusiness.com.au/speakers/david-boyar/">Accounting Business Expo</a> to see David MCing the Business and Finance Theatre - Wednesday March 20 2019, ICC, Sydney - And if you are an FTT listener heading down, check out David's interview with ATO Assistant Commissioner of SMSF&rsquo;s Dana Fleming and if you let us know beforehand, David will give you a shout out on stage! <a href="https://www.accountingbusiness.com.au/">https://www.accountingbusiness.com.au/</a></li>
<li>Following last week's videos to promote better business, Deloitte are producing a topic featuring their own female leaders to promote women entering the STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering Maths):&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/deloitte-ellaengineer-comic-book-collab-stem.html?id=us:2sm:3tw:4ellapr::6cons:20190226161100:&amp;utm_source=tw&amp;utm_campaign=ellapr&amp;utm_content=cons&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;linkId=64080881">https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/deloitte-ellaengineer-comic-book-collab-stem.html?id=us:2sm:3tw:4ellapr::6cons:20190226161100:&amp;utm_source=tw&amp;utm_campaign=ellapr&amp;utm_content=cons&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;linkId=64080881</a></li>
<li>Earn Qantas points when you pay your accounting fees with Deloitte:&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/deloitte-private/articles/qantas-business-rewards.html">https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/deloitte-private/articles/qantas-business-rewards.html</a></li>
<li>You never have all the right information to tell the full story:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6507513599555096576">https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6507513599555096576</a></li>
<li>It&rsquo;s ok to have a &lsquo;&rsquo;work voice&rsquo;&rsquo; says David as Elizabeth Holmes is busted for changing her voice to a baritone for business purposes:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-desperate-deceptions/news-story/c27d04362607d5a66f3fe2b61debe49a">https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-desperate-deceptions/news-story/c27d04362607d5a66f3fe2b61debe49a</a></li>
<li>The Gamification of Tax Compliance!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/03/02/governments-use-receipt-lotteries-to-boost-tax-compliance">https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/03/02/governments-use-receipt-lotteries-to-boost-tax-compliance</a></li>
</ul>
Worst on Ground
<ul>
<li>
ATO has put its hand up and enforced the super amnesty despite its botched process into legislation:<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace/ato-set-to-waive-unpaid-superannuation-penalties-in-wake-of-botched-amnesty-20190305-p511yn.html">https://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace/ato-set-to-waive-unpaid-superannuation-penalties-in-wake-of-botched-amnesty-20190305-p511yn.html</a>
</li>
<li>Despite Paul&rsquo;s initial claim, it turns out accountants can learn from tech startups:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/5-lessons-accountants-can-learn-from-tech-startups">https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/5-lessons-accountants-can-learn-from-tech-startups</a></li>
<li>Korda Mentha Acquire Learning was solvent, despite Acquire paying Korda&rsquo;s bill late:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/boom-1-million-for-the-boys-acquire-eyed-success-ahead-of-fall-20190306-p5128m.html">https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/boom-1-million-for-the-boys-acquire-eyed-success-ahead-of-fall-20190306-p5128m.html</a></li>
<li>The law doesn't care about your buzzwords. Aldi replaced &ldquo;Employer&rdquo; with &ldquo;Leader&rdquo;:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.afr.com/news/policy/industrial-relations/aldi-enterprise-agreements-torpedoed-over-a-one-word-change-20190301-h1bvck?&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nc&amp;eid=socialn:fac-14omn0053-optim-nnn:nonpaid-25/06/2014-social_traffic-all-organicpost-nnn-afr-o&amp;campaign_code=nocode&amp;promote_channel=social_facebook">https://www.afr.com/news/policy/industrial-relations/aldi-enterprise-agreements-torpedoed-over-a-one-word-change-20190301-h1bvck?&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nc&amp;eid=socialn:fac-14omn0053-optim-nnn:nonpaid-25/06/2014-social_traffic-all-organicpost-nnn-afr-o&amp;campaign_code=nocode&amp;promote_channel=social_facebook</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Indepth: ATO Scandal Part 3
Following the ATO&rsquo;s scandal last year a parliamentary committee has made 37 recommendations for changes into the ATO handling of disputes.
See linked episodes:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/podcast/2018/4/13/53-ato-attacked?rq=ato">ATO Scandal: Part 1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/podcast/2018/4/23/54-atos-debt-process">ATO Scandal: Part 2</a></li>
</ul>
The recommendations have some good and some bad, so in true FTT style, David and Paul try to work out which ones will work and which won't.
Check our our interview with Debt Commissioner Robert Ravanello <a href="https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/podcast/2018/4/23/54-atos-debt-process?rq=deb">here</a>.
You can check the full list of recommendations here.
<a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Tax_and_Revenue/2016-17AnnualReport/Report/section?id=committees/reportrep/024240/26793&amp;_lrsc=396f93d4-9f23-423f-8f1e-61c0bcc004de&amp;trk=elevate_li">https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Tax_and_Revenue/2016-17AnnualReport/Report/section?id=committees/reportrep/024240/26793&amp;_lrsc=396f93d4-9f23-423f-8f1e-61c0bcc004de&amp;trk=elevate_li</a>

99. ATO Scandal: Part 3

This week, everything from automation to ACCC to the ATO crossed Paul and David’s desks. 
If anything, this episode is a must listen because of Paul’s investigative journalism! He drops an exclusive interview with Rob Ravanello, Deputy Commissioner to get his thoughts on the debt process on the back of the Four Corners episode. 

Let’s get the conversation going! Engage with the boys on LinkedIn, Twitter, Soundcloud or head to their website: 

From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar. 
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/ 

Show Notes 

1:16 Best on Ground 

Paul 

“Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.” 
https://twitter.com/elonmusk 
A stark comment from the pin up boy of automation and AI. 

David 

ACCC Has Concerns About The MYOB Reckon Deal – I Have Concerns About the ACCC 
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/accc-has-concerns-myob-reckon-deal-i-have-matt-paff/ 

Matt Paff's scathing review of ACCCs review into MYOBs acquisition of Rekkon 
5:03 Worst on Ground 

Paul 

CA’s lack of response to the Four Corners piece. 
‘They only issued a half-hearted blog with no mention of its members in the sector’ 

Xero’s rapid staff changes, with possibly more to come. 
‘What’s going on? They’ve lost three big faces of the organisation’ 

David 

Gig Economy Changes Tune as Public Opinion Shifts 
https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/gig-economy-changes-tune-as-public-opinion-shifts-20180411-p4z91x.html 
I don’t see many people wanting to sell off into the sunset on those sorts of arrangements. 

Financial Planning Doesn’t Have Professionals Standards and Needs Reform 
https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/amp.abc.net.au/article/9664134 
‘The accountant vs. financial planner debate has been won” 

14:01 5 in 5 Summary: 

Paul goes out and gives us the inside word with Rob Ravanello, Deputy Commissioner at the ATO, surrounding the debt process in light of the ongoing scandal. Here’s a summary of what he had to say: 

• The ATO uses analytics to look at client circumstances and lodgement history 
• Don’t let debt escalate – collaborate and engage 
• Utilise the online services and platforms that the ATO offers 
• Understanding of obligations and payment mechanisms is a fundamental focus going forward 

27:39 In-Depth Topic: 
After all that has been said and done, the boys take a high level view at the ATO scandal and have come up with their key takeaways to date: 

Paul: 
• Could there be more to some of these cases? 
• In some sense, the ATO chases the debt in the wrong way 
• When dealing with the ATO, there is inconsistency in their approach. Your first answer sometimes doesn’t have to be your final answer! 
• Legal expectations are going up and up. The government are relying on the tax agent and client is less educated 

David: 
• The ease of access and low cost of debt creates problems 
• There are angles missed in these stories, specifically roles and responsibility of tax agent in verifying what is reported is accurate and facilitating communication 
• Better outcome no – better management of expectations 
• Could the ATO have managed their client expectations better during the stories? 
• People aren’t engaging with the debt - we can’t use it as the fifth bank

This week, everything from automation to ACCC to the ATO crossed Paul and David&rsquo;s desks. If anything, this episode is a must listen because of Paul&rsquo;s investigative journalism! He drops an exclusive interview with Rob Ravanello, Deputy Commissioner to get his thoughts on the debt process on the back of the Four Corners episode. Let&rsquo;s get the conversation going! Engage with the boys on LinkedIn, Twitter, Soundcloud or head to their website: From The Trenches&rsquo; - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar. https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/ Show Notes 1:16 Best on Ground Paul &ldquo;Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.&rdquo; https://twitter.com/elonmusk A stark comment from the pin up boy of automation and AI. David ACCC Has Concerns About The MYOB Reckon Deal &ndash; I Have Concerns About the ACCC https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/accc-has-concerns-myob-reckon-deal-i-have-matt-paff/ Matt Paff's scathing review of ACCCs review into MYOBs acquisition of Rekkon 5:03 Worst on Ground Paul CA&rsquo;s lack of response to the Four Corners piece. &lsquo;They only issued a half-hearted blog with no mention of its members in the sector&rsquo; Xero&rsquo;s rapid staff changes, with possibly more to come. &lsquo;What&rsquo;s going on? They&rsquo;ve lost three big faces of the organisation&rsquo; David Gig Economy Changes Tune as Public Opinion Shifts https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/gig-economy-changes-tune-as-public-opinion-shifts-20180411-p4z91x.html I don&rsquo;t see many people wanting to sell off into the sunset on those sorts of arrangements. Financial Planning Doesn&rsquo;t Have Professionals Standards and Needs Reform https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/amp.abc.net.au/article/9664134 &lsquo;The accountant vs. financial planner debate has been won&rdquo; 14:01 5 in 5 Summary: Paul goes out and gives us the inside word with Rob Ravanello, Deputy Commissioner at the ATO, surrounding the debt process in light of the ongoing scandal. Here&rsquo;s a summary of what he had to say: &bull; The ATO uses analytics to look at client circumstances and lodgement history &bull; Don&rsquo;t let debt escalate &ndash; collaborate and engage &bull; Utilise the online services and platforms that the ATO offers &bull; Understanding of obligations and payment mechanisms is a fundamental focus going forward 27:39 In-Depth Topic: After all that has been said and done, the boys take a high level view at the ATO scandal and have come up with their key takeaways to date: Paul: &bull; Could there be more to some of these cases? &bull; In some sense, the ATO chases the debt in the wrong way &bull; When dealing with the ATO, there is inconsistency in their approach. Your first answer sometimes doesn&rsquo;t have to be your final answer! &bull; Legal expectations are going up and up. The government are relying on the tax agent and client is less educated David: &bull; The ease of access and low cost of debt creates problems &bull; There are angles missed in these stories, specifically roles and responsibility of tax agent in verifying what is reported is accurate and facilitating communication &bull; Better outcome no &ndash; better management of expectations &bull; Could the ATO have managed their client expectations better during the stories? &bull; People aren&rsquo;t engaging with the debt - we can&rsquo;t use it as the fifth bank

This week, everything from automation to ACCC to the ATO crossed Paul and David’s desks.
If anything, this episode is a must listen because of Paul’s investigative journalism! He drops an exclusive interview with Rob Ravanello, Deputy Commissioner to...

#54 - ATO's Debt Process

Massive episode for the boys given what’s happened in the past week. Join Dave and Paul as they run through the best and worst on grounds, covering compliance, culture and collaboration. 
They’re joined by Sarah Lawrence to talk about her adventures in the virtual CFO world and the in-depth topic this week is none other than the Fairfax and Four Corner’s attack on the ATO. Not to be missed! 

From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar. 
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/ 

Show Notes 

0:45 Best on Ground 

Paul 

10 Errors to Avoid when Collaborating with an Accountant 
http://magazine.riskinfo.com.au/34/ten-errors-to-avoid-when-collaborating-with-an-accountant/ 
‘Absolutely spot on’ 

Wealthy Clients Headaches Driving Business for Accountants, Research Finds 
https://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/tax-compliance/11516-wealthy-clients-headaches-driving-business-for-accountants-research-finds 
A great piece on a pertinent issue. 

David 

MYOB’s Culture 
Dave got a tour of the MYOB office earlier this week and was ‘blown away’ by what he saw. 

8:42 Worst on Ground 

Paul 

Planners Lobby Claims: Accountants Hold Unfair Advantages 
https://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/professional-development/11506-planners-lobby-claims-accountants-hold-unfair-advantages 
After years of criticising accountants, this comes as a shock. 

CA Issues in the AFR this Week 
‘Where were CA? They need to have a voice’ 

David 

We’ve Created the Accounting Bubble, Now We’re All Trapped Inside 
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/weve-created-accounting-bubble-now-were-all-trapped-inside-mclaren/ 
‘This piece is why the show exists’ 

13:47 5 in 5 Summary: 

The boys are joined by Sarah Lawrence at the Accounting Business Expo, sharing a bit about her background, insights and comments on the virtual CFO world. 

• Sarah believes branding is a key mechanism to present viewpoints to the industry and grow your follower base 
• She engaged a marketing expert and believes it’s been a great return on investment 
• She feels acting as trusted advisors and adding value is key to client longevity 

17:41 In-Depth Topic: 

This week, the ATO were investigated by a Fairfax Four Corners duo that put them under the microscope. The boys broke down the key issues: 

• R&D grant experts were on a commission based scheme – sounds a lot like the banking royal commission? 
• Mark Leibler was misrepresented and the stories where relatable “Aussie battlers” have captured the attention of the nation 
• No tax agents utilised by Four Corners on the show – which reveals a lack of understanding of tax administration in Australia whereby the tax agent is the conduit to soften the blow. 
• If we are going to look at their heavy collection practices we need to consider their loose lending ones.

Massive episode for the boys given what&rsquo;s happened in the past week. Join Dave and Paul as they run through the best and worst on grounds, covering compliance, culture and collaboration. They&rsquo;re joined by Sarah Lawrence to talk about her adventures in the virtual CFO world and the in-depth topic this week is none other than the Fairfax and Four Corner&rsquo;s attack on the ATO. Not to be missed! From The Trenches&rsquo; - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar. https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/ Show Notes 0:45 Best on Ground Paul 10 Errors to Avoid when Collaborating with an Accountant http://magazine.riskinfo.com.au/34/ten-errors-to-avoid-when-collaborating-with-an-accountant/ &lsquo;Absolutely spot on&rsquo; Wealthy Clients Headaches Driving Business for Accountants, Research Finds https://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/tax-compliance/11516-wealthy-clients-headaches-driving-business-for-accountants-research-finds A great piece on a pertinent issue. David MYOB&rsquo;s Culture Dave got a tour of the MYOB office earlier this week and was &lsquo;blown away&rsquo; by what he saw. 8:42 Worst on Ground Paul Planners Lobby Claims: Accountants Hold Unfair Advantages https://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/professional-development/11506-planners-lobby-claims-accountants-hold-unfair-advantages After years of criticising accountants, this comes as a shock. CA Issues in the AFR this Week &lsquo;Where were CA? They need to have a voice&rsquo; David We&rsquo;ve Created the Accounting Bubble, Now We&rsquo;re All Trapped Inside https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/weve-created-accounting-bubble-now-were-all-trapped-inside-mclaren/ &lsquo;This piece is why the show exists&rsquo; 13:47 5 in 5 Summary: The boys are joined by Sarah Lawrence at the Accounting Business Expo, sharing a bit about her background, insights and comments on the virtual CFO world. &bull; Sarah believes branding is a key mechanism to present viewpoints to the industry and grow your follower base &bull; She engaged a marketing expert and believes it&rsquo;s been a great return on investment &bull; She feels acting as trusted advisors and adding value is key to client longevity 17:41 In-Depth Topic: This week, the ATO were investigated by a Fairfax Four Corners duo that put them under the microscope. The boys broke down the key issues: &bull; R&amp;D grant experts were on a commission based scheme &ndash; sounds a lot like the banking royal commission? &bull; Mark Leibler was misrepresented and the stories where relatable &ldquo;Aussie battlers&rdquo; have captured the attention of the nation &bull; No tax agents utilised by Four Corners on the show &ndash; which reveals a lack of understanding of tax administration in Australia whereby the tax agent is the conduit to soften the blow. &bull; If we are going to look at their heavy collection practices we need to consider their loose lending ones.

Massive episode for the boys given what’s happened in the past week. Join Dave and Paul as they run through the best and worst on grounds, covering compliance, culture and collaboration. 
They’re joined by Sarah Lawrence to talk about her adventures ...

ATO Scandal

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ATO Scandal

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