ATO will Medicare Exemption Statement Data

The ATO will acquire Medicare Exemption Statement data from Services Australia through to the 2023 financial year under an ongoing data-matching program. The ATO outlines that the program's objectives include using the data to:

🔹 ensure individuals are correctly claiming exemption from payment of the Medicare levy and Medicare levy surcharge;

🔹 work with taxpayers and intermediaries to better understand the identified risks and trends for non-compliance;

🔹 speed up processing of income tax returns and payment of refunds to taxpayers who are genuinely entitled to claim these exemptions;

🔹 undertake verification activities where the information obtained indicates a taxpayer may not be entitled to claim the exemption, either partly or in its entirety.

Program details: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Gen/Services-Australia-specified-benefits-and-entitlements---2016-17-to-2022-23-data-matching-program-protocol/