CANBERRA: Tens of thousands of Uber drivers across the country have been issued a stern warning by the Australian Taxation Office to comply with their tax obligations or they will get caught. Today signals the end of the financial year and the ATO will put up to 100,000 Uber drivers on notice to make sure they understand their tax requirements.
The booming ride-sourcing business is used by more than 3 million people in Australia and for many people it’s been a source of income. Drivers do not pay tax as they go, instead they must be registered for GST and pay GST on the full fare when they file their business activity statements. Assistant Commissioner Tom Wheeler said the ATO has reached out to more than 100,000 drivers — ranging from those doing a few shifts to working full-time as a driver. “We have reached out to about 60,000 drivers so far and we have been collecting data to inform us on who is driving,’’ he said. “We estimate there are over 100,000 individuals that have performed ride sourcing services in Australia since August 2015 and there is quite significant churn, it’s not a stable population so we are seeing people come in and exit.”
