TPB reinforces small business as core priority

During 2017-18, a small business communications strategy was implemented to integrate our messages regarding registered tax practitioners in stakeholder communications to small businesses, the TPB said.

The TPB said it worked with other government agencies to embed key messages in existing communication channels, such as business.gov.au and the ATO’s website content for small business, small business newsroom, and ‘New to business’ email series and webinar.

As a result, it said the campaign had supporting coverage through business.gov.au and the ATO’s small business newsroom, and was also promoted through social media channels for:

• the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman;

• Business Tasmania;

• the New South Wales Small Business Commissioner; and

• Business NSW.

“To coincide with the end of tax time in October 2017, the TPB issued direct communications to small business associations, promoting the message that small businesses should check that their tax practitioner is registered,” the report said.

“This resulted in various small business association news outlets publishing articles about checking the TPB Register.”

The TPB also noted a tax time digital advertising campaign ran in June 2018 to encourage small businesses to ensure that their tax practitioner was registered.

It said the advertising aimed to continue the outcomes achieved through the 2016-17 unregistered service provider project, which provided increased consumer protection and helped to increase the integrity of the tax profession.

Digital advertising was done through Google, Bing, Yellow Pages online, TrueLocal and Gumtree to encourage people looking for a tax agent or BAS agent to:

• look for the registered tax practitioner symbol or check whether they are registered; and

• understand the benefits of using a registered practitioner.

“Digital advertising resulted in more than 1.1 million advertisements appearing when small businesses were searching for a tax agent or BAS agent, and generated more than 4,300 searches of the TPB Register,” the TPB said.