Raymund Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi, does anyone knows the scope of work or difference between BAS and TAX agent. And which one has less requirement for training, courses or certification. As of now I'm enrolled for CPA Australia Professional Program Certification, so I'm just wondering if there are courses/study that i could do in order to qualify either (BAS or TAX) in short period of time. Thank you so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 I'm no expert but I do know that the person that deals with the BAS return where I work is an expert in GST and FBT, and is the person we go to for a ruling on whether something should have GST applied or be GST free. Tax agents on the other hand seem to be experts in tax in general and help individuals and small companies with their yearly tax returns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymund Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share Posted November 2, 2015 Thanks for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) Hi, does anyone knows the scope of work or difference between BAS and TAX agent. And which one has less requirement for training, courses or certification. As of now I'm enrolled for CPA Australia Professional Program Certification, so I'm just wondering if there are courses/study that i could do in order to qualify either (BAS or TAX) in short period of time. Thank you so much BAS and Tax Agents are both registered by the Tax Practitioners' Board (see TPB.gov.au). A BAS agent can only do Activity Statements but a Tax Agent can do any taxes (including Activity Statements). You'll find the educational and experience requirements for both on the TPB website. Getting the necessary experience to satisfy the TPB is probably going to be harder for you than meeting the academic requirements. It's illegal for anyone to charge a fee for giving Tax Advice (even for something as simple as how to record a GST invoice in a ledger) unless they are registered with the TPB and only those registered with the TPB can access the ATO portals for BAS and Tax Agents (hence allowing them to file tax returns on behalf of clients). Forgot to mention, the great Australian public considers a BAS agent to be the same thing as a Bookkeeper and a Tax Agent to be the same thing as an Accountant. Not actually how the rules work (since an Bookkeeper or an Accountant who is an employee wouldn't need to be registered with the TPB and there are many Tax Agents who aren't qualified Accountants) but it is in line with the registration that self-employed bookkeepers and accountants would have needed to have obtained to keep working when the system was introduced. Edited November 8, 2015 by Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.