The ATO’s sophisticated data analytics found a range of unsupported claims in 2018. Claims by taxpayers that triggered additional scrutiny and ATO action included:
A claim of $4,800 using the log book method triggered a red flag. When we asked the taxpayer to provide the logbook to support the claim, we found the taxpayer was referring to a car service logbook rather than a logbook kept for calculating their work use car percentage. The taxpayer had not undertaken any work-related car travel during the year.
Another claim was flagged after analytics indicated taxpayers with similar occupations, salaries and in similar locations had not made claims for car expenses. We found that the taxpayer, a retail worker, had incorrectly claimed $350 for the cost of public transport to and from work.
We also identified an office worker claiming $3,300 for 5000 kilometres of work-related travel using the cents per kilometre method. The taxpayer advised that his employer did not require him to use his car for work and that his claim was based on trips he made from home to work.
In each case, the claims were disallowed as the expenses were private and not substantiated.