11 July 2000

New GST Courses for Small Business

New courses on Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) tax are being scheduled nationwide for the small to medium business, community and education sector Chris Jordan, Chairman of The New Tax System Advisory Board said today.

In addition to the continuation of all existing GST assistance programs, the free courses deal specifically with PAYG and the first monthly and quarterly Business Activity Statement (BAS). The BAS is required of all organisations which have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and who are registered for the GST.

Courses for the first monthly BAS in August are scheduled to start from 31 July and run over two weeks at more than 60 locations nationwide. (Click here for location schedule). A second series of courses for the first quarterly BAS will run in early October. (Locations and dates to be confirmed).

People wishing to register for a PAYG course can do so by calling 1800 351 754 (toll free) or visit www.gststartup.gov.au

"The courses will be run as very ‘hands-on’ workshops," Mr Jordan said.

"An emphasis will be to provide businesses with the skills to complete their first Business Activity Statement (BAS) and understand the Pay As You Go (PAYG) business tax system.

"Full, practical materials, including case studies and work sheets, are included in the workshops to help businesses to continue to run smoothly," Mr Jordan said.

"Businesses are now moving into their first reporting period which means they should be ensuring that their record-keeping is ready for the GST and that they can keep track of sales," he said.

"The most important next step for business operators is to ensure they know how to lodge a Business Activity Statement (BAS) which is a single statement replacing numerous ATO forms," Mr Jordan said.

Courses will be delivered by TEO Training Pty Ltd who have delivered four previous series of GST courses nationwide to over 20,000 participants. In addition to the new PAYG courses, Field Officers from the Australian Tax Office are still available for on-site visits to business operators to answer any questions that arise. There is also a wide range of materials and services available to help business and community groups as well as the GST ASSIST hotline on 13 30 88 and the ATO’s Tax Reform hotline on 13 24 78.

Media contact: Anita Shooks, The New Tax System Advisory Board on (02) 6216 2318 or 0407 406 765.