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I’ve just completed a two-week research project in Washington DC into the laws governing the operations of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS’s operations are starkly and vastly superior to those of the ATO. The difference is in the laws covering the IRS.

Here’s my brief two-minute YouTube overview of what I’ve discovered.

The IRS’s behaviour stands in stark contrast to the evidence of the bullying, intimidation and culture of fear practised by the ATO. This was on display in Senate hearings we reported on last week.

But there’s more—this time from ‘on the ground’. The ATO is conducting small business briefings across Australia on how to be tax compliant. Self-Employed Australia members who’ve attended these briefings report a feeling of being bullied. The essential messages from these briefings are:

a) This is what you have to do to comply.
b) We, the ATO, have eyes and ears everywhere. We know what you’re doing!
c) If you don’t comply, here’s how we’ll crush you!

Nice one, ATO.