Regulatory reform

The Board plays a key role in helping the Australian Government to carry out its regulatory reform agenda. As part of this role, the Board provides advice to the Treasurer on opportunities to reduce red tape in the tax system and provides an important consultation mechanism for more substantive tax regulation matters.

The Board’s key areas of focus with respect to regulatory reform are:

  • Identifying potential opportunities for regulatory reform through the launch of the Sounding Board: Ideas for better tax regulation collaborative website and working with the Australian Government to implement them (see details on ‘Sounding Board+’ below); and
  • Reviewing performance reports produced by the ATO as part of the Government’s regulator performance framework.

Sounding Board+: Ideas for Better Tax Regulation

Sounding Board+ is a platform to submit ideas for tax system improvement. Sounding Board + is open to any tax bodies, professionals, businesses and members of the public who wish to have their say on ways to improve the tax system. Please see the Sounding Board information page for more information. You can also view Sounding Board’s Moderation Policy.

The Board also received a number of ideas on regulatory reform of the tax system prior to the creation of Sounding Board. These ideas were subject to examination by the Board, with recommendations made in respect of each. Please see the attached list [RTF 1MB | PDF 352KB] to view each idea and the associated outcome.

Regulator Performance Framework

As the Government’s Ministerial Advisory Council (MAC) for tax matters, the Board will play a role in reviewing performance reports produced by the ATO as part of a Framework to assess the performance of Commonwealth regulators and their engagement with stakeholders.