New ATO business register system enters next phase
Adrian Flores
The federal government has appointed the Tax Commissioner as the Registrar of the ATO’s new business register system while also revealing a time frame on delivering director IDs.
In addition, the ATO said ASIC registry staff will move to the ATO, in a Machinery of Government (MoG) administrative change to help the Registrar.
“This is a staffing change only. It doesn’t change your registry obligations, how you interact with the ASIC registers or the ABR, at this time,” the ATO said.
“As the program rolls out, we will keep you up to date with any changes that may affect you.”
Once fully established, the new Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) will unify ASIC’s 31 business registers and the Australian Business Register onto a new modern system at the ATO.
In a statement, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy Jane Hume indicated director identification numbers (director IDs) will be the first new function of the ABRS to be delivered later this year and is a new requirement for all company directors.
“Director ID will be a unique identifier that a director will keep forever. An individual will keep their director ID even if they cease to be a director, change their name, or move interstate or overseas,” Ms Hume said.
“Verifying the identity of directors is important for improving data integrity and helping regulators to detect and deal with illegal phoenixing activities. The Registrar will notify company directors of their obligations under the new director ID regime.”
According to the ATO website, directors don’t currently need to do anything, but the ATO said it will soon begin testing the new application process in a private beta to ensure a seamless user experience.
When it’s time to apply, the ATO said directors will be able to use ABRS online services and will sign in using the myGovID app.
The ABRS is part of the Modifying Business Registers program which will be rolled out progressively between 2021 and 2024.