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“Appearing on morning television on Friday, Environment Minister Murray Watt said the ATO’s plan to ban credit card payments for tax bills so as not to burden all taxpayers with the associated costs was a completely “independent decision”.”

“Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ intervention to temporarily halt the Australian Taxation Office’s controversial banning of credit card payments to help small businesses is management of a crisis of the Albanese government’s own making.”

“The tax office surprised small business owners earlier this month as the Reserve Bank of Australia’s ban on credit card surcharges came into effect.”

“The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) convened a meeting with business lobby groups on Wednesday after an outcry over its move to scrap credit cards as a payment method from the end of November – a change it announced on October 1 as a national ban on credit…”

“Communications around several issues, including the ATO’s credit card ban, have been sloppy.”

“There is also anxiety among members of the caucus who are still smarting over the ATO’s credit card ban.”

“The ATO said last week that it would ban credit card payments because it wasn’t appropriate to pass the $200 million a year in fees on to taxpayers.”

“The most prominent example of this creeping quality of unkemptness was the government’s swift retreat on the ATO’s decision to stop accepting credit cards for the payment of tax.”

“Ken Butler, Mount Colah Make banks cover cost of fee ban When the surcharges were banned starting October 1, I was under the impression that the government had been successful in forcing financial institutions to cancel these charges (“Labor unrest after ban…”

“In response to the surcharge ban, the ATO said it would no longer accept credit card payments from small businesses that use them to pay tax bills in instalments to maintain cash flow.”

“This week (“‘Double standard’: Business groups urge ATO to reverse its credit card ban,””

“It was the Reserve Bank that announced back in March that it would ban credit and debit card surcharges from October this year.”

“'Un-Australian!' ATO, government slammed as small business owners reach breaking point A small business owner has slammed the ATO after it refused to reverse its ban on accepting credit card payments, and accused the government of being 'un-Australian' as…”

“The fee changes were announced six months ago but it’s only now that Macquarie Bank and the ATO have told anyone that they’ll no longer accept credit cards, forcing renters, strata levy payers and all those with shortly upcoming tax bills to find alternatives.”

“The tax office subsequently announced a plan to ban credit card transactions from November 30, saying in a statement: “As a government agency, the ATO has decided it would not be appropriate for the cost of credit card merchant fees to be transferred to the…”

“Since the Reserve Bank confirmed in March it would ban credit and debit card surcharges from the beginning of October, small business owners have expressed concern that the sweeping reforms – estimated to save consumers $1.6 billion annually – will leave them…”