ATO

[wheelinround]

Found a new payee on our online banking this morning ATO checked who payee is supposed to be just says ATO Yes I know ATO usually stands for Australian Tax Office. Tried to remove it......can't.

Late this afternoon rang bank and asked who put it there?? "We did we are obligated to!!" ...ME " by who's authority??"..........them " no idea Government I think" ME " what you mean obligated to??" "I never gave authority to have it there"

Seems the Government and the ATO have given the banks the right to add the ATO as a Payee to all online bank accounts across the board, you can't remove them/it. They neither the Banks nor the ATO has notified anyone about this.

My concern is/was that ATO may stand for Australian tax Office but there is no indication that it does. Not being notified that this was taking place. That any body sitting at a keyboard may now access your account without your knowledge from ATO and have the bank pay them what ever they wish.

[NCArcher]

Hi Ray,
Only you can authorise payments from your account. (unless they have a court order but you'd need to be some sort of drug dealing underworld figure for them to get one of those.) The ATO already has access to your balance and interest details. If the ATO wants to put some money in my account, I'm fine with that.

[wheelinround]

Hi Ray,
Only you can authorise payments from your account. (unless they have a court order but you'd need to be some sort of drug dealing underworld figure for them to get one of those.) The ATO already has access to your balance and interest details. If the ATO wants to put some money in my account, I'm fine with that.

Tony I know they have access to check up but not put themselves in as a Payee and all it says is ATO now thats no indication at all whom that is even if you check (well with my bank) the further info.

Your also right I/we are the or should be the only ones who can authorise payments what worries is WHY no one has notified it has happened. Oh yeh I'll take what Gough got for 40 years thanks I am not being greedy I could aks for what Gillard and Rudd are getting for life.

[Pearo]

The ATO features predomintly in my list of payees Its all part and parcel of being a business owner.


Unfortunatly, the ATO is above the law and does not require a court order to get their money out of you as I understand it. They just issue a garnishee notice to your bank and the bank will take your money and hand it over to the ATO.

[Christos]

I know I have said this before but I will say it again.

The most powerful government department in the whole world Taxation.

[wheelinround]

The ATO features predomintly in my list of payees Its all part and parcel of being a business owner.


Unfortunatly, the ATO is above the law and does not require a court order to get their money out of you as I understand it. They just issue a garnishee notice to your bank and the bank will take your money and hand it over to the ATO.

I am on DSP not in business

[Cliff Rogers]

I don't have them on my payee list.

I do have them on my Bpay list but I put them there.

They come up a Tax Office Payments on the Bpay list, not ATO.

[Pearo]

I don't have them on my payee list.

I do have them on my Bpay list but I put them there.

They come up a Tax Office Payments on the Bpay list, not ATO.

Same with me.

@wheelinround, not suggesting you were a business owner, was just having a whine about my situation!

I just had a look at all my accounts, but no ATO payee or bpay that I have not added myself.

[KBs PensNmore]

The ATO features predomintly in my list of payees Its all part and parcel of being a business owner.


Unfortunatly, the ATO is above the law and does not require a court order to get their money out of you as I understand it. They just issue a garnishee notice to your bank and the bank will take your money and hand it over to the ATO.

If you don't have the funds in the account, they have other ways of dealing with you, ruining your credit rating DAMHIKT.
Kryn

[wheelinround]

Thanks gents either I have been lied to by the Bank or I am without my knowledge under investigation being on DSP no idea why though.

[wheelinround]

Well in contacting ATO it is across the board for all account holders across the nation.

The lady I spoke to also agreed that my concerns were and could lead to problems if they start withdrawing monies without first announcing it. ie being on any SS payment and you go to pay such as rent and you have not enough funds in the account due to some dipstick at the ATO keyboard has typed the wrong numbers (its happened prior this)

This is hypothetical in part.........it hapend to us during the Aus-study debacle in the 90's our and many other kids lost their Aus-study never to get it back even though Vanstone knew she had stuffed up big time.

[Fuzzie]

I must be missing something in the paranoia on this issue. Because an entity is listed in the payee list on my bank account doesn't authorize that entity to direct debit my account, it just simplifies the process involved when I initiate a funds transfer to that entity.

In general the entities that ARE authorized to direct debit the account (for example the utility companies) don't in fact show up at all in the payee list. In fact I don't know any simple way in my online banking to see who are actually authorized to make a direct debit.

[wheelinround]

I must be missing something in the paranoia on this issue. Because an entity is listed in the payee list on my bank account doesn't authorize that entity to direct debit my account, it just simplifies the process involved when I initiate a funds transfer to that entity.

In general the entities that ARE authorized to direct debit the account (for example the utility companies) don't in fact show up at all in the payee list. In fact I don't know any simple way in my online banking to see who are actually authorized to make a direct debit.

Paranoia stems from a time when during Amanda Vanston's war on Aus-study payments when some dipstick in ATO used a code to define what work I was contracted for and it came up with an income far far away from what I was earning. Two of our children and many others lost their Aust-study payments never to be re-instated all because of a stupid mistake at a key board.

Like my bank it maybe doesn't show till you want to enter and pay an account Fuzzie it can not be removed even the fellow tried his own account when I was speaking to him about the account.

As has been pointed out by others in this thread who have had deductions made thats scary.

What I found down right a breach is not one either the bank NOR the ATO or government has alerted informed the nation about the move.

ATO could have been anyone a hack possibly. How oten do you get emails and or SMS from banks which are scams ????

Could this be for a way to recoupe GST for OS transactions where GST is not paid??? No notification given just $$ removed from your account without consent or knowledge till you look at your statement.??? OR for the Co-payment of $7 when you visit the DR's

To consider that anyone in ATO has access and the power to remove funds from your/my account without knowledge or permission

[smidsy]

The only thing it will let you change is the payee nickname so I changed that to "W*nkers - DO NOT PAY" - and I used full spelling.

[Cliff Rogers]

Which bank are you blokes talking about?

I have accounts with Westpac & NAB & I don't have them on my payee list on either account.