It’s a question that we often get asked.
At present there’s no qualifications needed to be a bookkeeper.
Anyone can start their own bookkeeping service.
You can start by helping out your partner, husband or wife doing the books for their business. Maybe you’ve stumbled into bookkeeping at work, as an extra to your administration skills for your boss.
Many bookkeepers have started out just by doing that. They’ve “picked it up” as they were going along.
We covered some pointers Starting A Bookkeeping Business
Proposed Bookkeeping legislation in Australia
The Australian Government Treasury Department doesn’t know what bookkeepers do, and are in the process of introducing legislation to make bookkeepers accountable. So the bookkeeping industry will see some massive changes. Apparently the legislation is designed to protect business owners.
Meanwhile there’s confusion whilst people that don’t know what bookkeepers do are trying to draft legislation to define what bookkeepers should be allowed to do, and bookkeeping network groups are rubbing their hands together seeing an opportunity to recruit bookkeepers as new members as a way to give those bookkeepers protection under the proposed legislation.
Confused: So is the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Government Treasury Department
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Hazary // Dec 31, 2007 at 1:40 am
It is rather strange to me to know that a rich and Developed Country like Australia is finding difficult in knowing the basic function of a book-keeper. The basic function of a book-keeper is to record the daily entries into the basic book of Accounting such as:Purchases day book,Sales day book, Purchase return day book,and sales return day book etc.They’re trying to include more than those mentioned eg.payroll.petty cash, national insurance and tax deductions,the book-keeper’s work must always be supervise by the company’s Accountants for his work to be of any value.In my own opinion passing legislations which will in crest the responsibilities of the book-keeper is good on one, but on the other hand it is removing the well Established International rules and regulations that is required from the CPA. Certified public Accountant, is ti because in recent times the white color crimes are on the increase (Aurthur Anderson, Ken lay etc.) do you remember them, lets wait and see, i suspect this legislation will only be use in Australia , but it must be in with the well established International Accounting practices . Thanks for the opportunity.
2 John // Dec 31, 2007 at 7:26 am
All the Australian Government seems interested in is making sure it collects the correct taxes!
So they want to ensure that bookkeepers are competant in reporting the correct taxes owed by business owners.
Some Accountants and Tax Agents feel they are “missing out” on income opportunities after their years of study in keeping up with taxation legislation, meanwhile bookkeepers have not needed to stay in line with changes to tax laws.
Now the Government is in a dilemma trying to define at what stage bookkeeping is goes beyond recording daily entries, and when does the bookkeeping work fall under the Taxation Legislation and become work that can only be carried out by a Registered Tax Agent?