The Curtin Tax Clinic (CTC) was founded with the dual purpose of addressing gaps in the delivery of taxation education and facilitating access to reliable tax advice for unrepresented taxpayers seeking to meet or comply with their tax affairs.
CTC provides free, competent, and comprehensive tax assistance to eligible, unrepresented members of the community through our body of qualified academics, tax practitioners and students.
Curtin University taxation students work both on a voluntary basis or by taking a full credit, Work Integrated Learning or Internship unit with the clinic in their second or third year of studies as part of their undergraduate or Master of Taxation studies.
Address
Curtin University
Building 407/Room 216, Kent Street, Bentley WA 6102
Clinic director and inhouse tax agent
Annette Morgan
Staff
Violet Lim – Clinic Manager
Ning Lee – Clinic Supervisor
Lora Whittington – Clinic Supervisor
Michael Belletty – Clinic Supervisor
How the clinic operates
The CTC, led by their tax agent Annette Morgan, operates as a registered accounting and taxation practice. Operating 50 weeks a year, services are available from Tuesday to Friday (9am to 4pm), with Monday reserved for administrative tasks. Additionally, the clinic conducts outreach trips across Western Australia to provide pro-bono tax services to regional and remote communities. Moreover, it conducts workshops and educational seminars for various organisations and schools.
The CTC has assisted over 1,000 new clients, providing invaluable real-world experience to students in handling tax matters for individuals and small businesses.
Our collaboration with the Justice Department of WA has strengthened, allowing us to extend tax representation to more incarcerated individuals. We've participated in multiple Aboriginal Justice Open Days and conducted remote trips to Indigenous communities within WA. Across the 13 prisons we serve, we have secured $1.2 million in tax refunds and produced A Report into Taxation Issues within WA Prisons (January 2023)External Link. Furthermore, our partnership with the Department of Education enables us to deliver educational initiatives to numerous primary and high schools across WA, reinforcing our commitment to community education and empowerment.
Area of focus
The CTC focuses on providing the following services to both individual and small businesses who meet the criteria of the clinic:
- general taxation advice
- lodgment and amendment of simple income tax returns via MyGov or using ATO approved tax software for complex tax returns
- preparation of accounting financial statements
- lodgment of Business Activity Statements (BAS’s)
- assistance with hardship applications for debt waiver or non-pursuit
- applications for remission of penalties and general interest charges
- assist taxpayers issued with Director Penalty Notices (DPNs)
- identification and management of GST fraud cases
- preparation of tax objections
- ·negotiation of payment plans
- assistance with matters at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
- assist taxpayers who have been issued with ATO prosecution notices for failure to comply with their taxation obligations
- assistance with consolidation of superannuation funds
- assist with completion of lost superannuation forms
- conduct educational workshops and seminars on requested topics.
There is more information on this in the CTC annual report from March 2022 to June 2023External Link.
Highlights in 2023
In 2023, the CTC:
- had 44 students involved
- had 1014 new clients
- received a $100,000 NIAA Grant
- lodged 2995 tax returns
- lodged 320 BAS
- were involved in 7 prosecution cases
- assisted with $306,185 in debt corrections
- had 29 open days and organisation visits
- had 31 new referral partners
- visited 18 Indigenous communities
- assisted clients to recover $1,168,172 in refunds
- visited 13 prisons.
Prisons visited by the CTC
- Karnet Prison Farm
- Acacia Prison
- Casuarina Prison
- Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women
- Bandyup Women's Prison
- Hakea Prison
- Bunbury Regional Prison
- West Kimberley Regional Prison (Derby)
- Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison (Kalgoorlie)
- Wooroloo Prison Farm
- Greenough Regional Prison
- Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison
- Broome Regional Prison
NIAA funded outreach to Indigenous communities in regional and remote regions of Western Australia
The CTC received a $100,000 grant from the NIAA's Jobs, Land, and the Economy Programme to support outreach efforts aimed at Indigenous communities in regional and remote areas of WA. The project's goal is to improve financial literacy, capability, and security among Indigenous populations by delivering culturally appropriate taxation and financial education programs.
In 2023, we visited various locations including Yungngora, Looma, Derby, Mowanjum, Jigalong, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Newman, Kalgoorlie, Leonora, Laverton, Broome, Djarindjin, Bidyadanga, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing, Warmun, and Ringer Soak to assist community members with their taxation and superannuation affairs.
A report detailing our findings will be released in mid-2024.