The Government Treasury department is still seeking to understand what bookkeepers do, as the push to introduce new legislation continues.
The Treasury seems to be digging a deeper hole in an effort to tighten up the legislation on Bookkeepers undertaking “Tax Work”. Our Bookkeeping service stresses to all our clients that we are NOT Registered Tax Agents and cannot give advice in that area.
Apparently the Treasury is now beginning to realise that bookkeepers perform basic data entry, and that this doesn’t make them a BAS service provider. However basic data entry may still involves making decisions about what can be claimed for GST.
So now they have to work out how to get around this issue. It looks like they’re suggesting that bookkeepers who set install accounting software for a client, including setting up a chart of accounts, will need to be a registered BAS Service provider.
We’ll be following the developments with interest
Next BAS due
