How tax works

Find out what tax is, and how the levels (federal, state and local) of government use those taxes, here.

Keeping records for tax purposes is an important element of being a responsible taxpayer. Read more about record keeping, and what audits are, here.

While it's true that there's no getting away from paying tax, it's also true that every year, the Tax Office flags cracking down on tax evaders as a priority. Find out more about tax evasion, here.

A perennial weapon the Tax Office uses is what it calls 'data matching', which as its name suggests involves comparing information that it has been given with data that others hold. Find out more about data matching, here.

Anyone with a concern that their circumstances may put them in an unusual position tax-wise, or that a particular financial arrangement doesn’t fit any known approach for tax purposes, can apply for a 'private ruling' from the Tax Office. Private rulings may suit your circumstances - find out more about them, here.

If you have made a mistake on your e-tax, find out what steps to take here. If you are unhappy about your treatment by the tax office, and believe you have a legitimate reason to complain, you can find out more about that, here.

You may have heard the term 'trusts' used to describe a particular arrangement - to find out more about how trusts work read How Tax Works - Trusts'.

Unfortunately, there are many scams out there doing the rounds attempting to relieve people of their tax or super funds. Find out more about these scams, and what to look out for, here. As well as keeping an eye on the scams doing the rounds, taxpayer alerts are the mechanism by which the Tax Office lets the general public know that there could be a problem, or a higher risk than usual, in an area of tax planning. Find out more about these alerts, here.

Last reviewed 8/08/2012