ATO Tax Risk Guide: Board is an integral player
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has issued comprehensive and detailed rules addressing requirements for a formal tax risk framework, from which a taxpayer’s risk will be measured. The guidance includes a tax risk management and governance review guide, in addition to appendices for control testing and directorship responsibilities. The risk guide is focused upon Board and Managerial level responsibilities. EY’s Global Alert and ATO’s tax risk guide and appendices are provided for reference:
Key actions:
- Express requirements for Directors
- Mandatory self-assurance processes for tax governance for which the ATO may rely in assessing risk
- A lack of requisite tax controls will affect the risk rating
- Board controls:
- Formalized tax control framework (Tax strategy document and policies endorsed by Board of Directors)
- Formalises company director roles / responsibilities for tax risk management
- Formal evidence of tax risk review and familiarity with tax risk matters
- Periodic internal control testing, including senior management’s attestation / formal board review of the testing results
- Managerial level responsibilities:
- Clearly defined and documented tax compliance and risk management roles / responsibilities
- Senior management’s active role and governance with objective criteria to demonstrate Best Practices
- Identification of significant transactions via a policy, process, risk rating
- Ensuring data controls are in place
- Record-keeping policies, including a formal tax record-retention policy
- Documented internal control framework
- Documented procedures explaining significant differences between accounting disclosures, financial statements and the tax return
- Complete and accurate tax disclosures, including compliance risk review and tax return review
- Tax governance policies addressing legal and administrative changes
- Appendices
- A: Testing of controls to test control design effectiveness, with a (comprehensive) example of a walk-through scenario
- B: Directorship responsibilities, including a penalty regime, and an appointed public officer
The ATO has set forth new expectations and Best Practices for multinational organisations. The Board of Directors for all MNE’s, not only those operating in Australia, should review the new guidelines, as they set the standard for the future to regulate tax risk management.
Astute Boards will be acting proactively to ensure all controls are in place to effectively manage global tax risk in this brave new world of post-BEPS introspection.
Other countries will surely follow, limited only by current resources.
Accordingly, the concept of a Tax Risk Officer and additional focus on tax risk management / governance policies (supported by objective testing) are becoming the new norm for which all MNE’s should embrace.
Strategizing Multinational Tax Risks 