Complaints

At Aintree Group, we are committed to upholding the highest standards as registered tax practitioners, meeting the obligations set by the Tax Practitioners Board, and promptly resolving any gaps in fulfilling these obligations.

Any formal complaints regarding our failure to meet obligations will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, fully adhering to the Code of Professional Conduct and the complaints process established by the Tax Practitioners Board.

Further information about the Tax Practitioners Board complaints process is available at: tpb.gov.au/complaints.

Overview of obligations:

Key rights and responsibilities of tax practitioners include their obligations to:

• act honestly and with integrity;
• provide competent services;
• exercise reasonable care;
• practice lawfully in their clients’ best interests;
• address confidentiality and any conflicts of interest.

Key rights and responsibilities of clients to tax practitioners include:

• acting honestly and with integrity;
• responding to reasonable requests and timelines (acknowledging that all taxpayers and tax practitioners may need to comply with time restrictions in the tax law).

If obligations are not met:

You can provide information to the Tax Practitioners Board about a registered tax practitioner not meeting their obligations via a simple online form. Complaints can also be made about unregistered preparers who are not complying with the law.

All complaints and referrals are assessed by the Tax Practitioners Board. In addition, they have client service compliance strategies in place that address the highest risk issues.

If your tax practitioner does not meet their obligations:

• Their registration can be suspended or terminated, meaning they can’t practice.
• They could receive written cautions or orders from the Tax Practitioners Board – for example, undertaking education or working under the supervision of another registered tax practitioner.
• Fines may be imposed by the Federal Court.

Lodging a complaint:

Before you make an official complaint to the Tax Practitioners Board, they encourage you to try to resolve any issues directly with the practitioner first, wherever possible.

If you are unable to resolve your issue with the tax practitioner, you can contact the Tax Practitioners Board by lodging a complaint. If you make a complaint, the Tax Practitioners Board will ask you to provide details about what has already been done to resolve the issue. 

All complaints must be in writing using the Tax Practitioners Board online Complaints Form.

This will ensure:

• You will be able to put your perspective in writing;
• Your complaint is easier to understand so the Tax Practitioners Board can address your concerns;
• You may attach documents to support your complaint;
• There is an accurate record of your complaint for reference;
• You give consent to deal with your complaint in accordance with the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA), the Privacy Act 1988, the Tax Practitioners Board Privacy Notice and any other relevant laws;
• You declare the information you have provided is true and correct;
• When you do receive a response, it will be easier to check if all aspects of your complaint/s and that all of your questions have been responded to.

You can make a complaint to the Tax Practitioners Board about:

• Registered tax agents or BAS agents (collectively referred to as ‘tax practitioners’);
• Anyone advertising or providing a tax agent, BAS or tax (financial) advice services for a fee who is unregistered.

However, there are some complaints about tax practitioners cannot be investigated by the Tax Practitioners Board.