Yahoo Finance ATO issues deadline warning for $1k JobKeeper payments
The tax man is urging eligible Australian businesses to register for JobKeeper despite its looming conclusion.
The Australian Taxation Office issued an alert on Monday calling on business owners to phone them should they want to register for the wage subsidy scheme.
“The JobKeeper program remains open to new and existing participants that meet eligibility requirements until the end of the scheme in March 2021,” the ATO said in a statement.
Under the current version of the scheme, Aussies eligible for the Tier 1 rate receive $1,000, while those on Tier 2 will get $650.
More information about JobKeeper and a guide to applying for JobKeeper can be found online, it advised.
But those seeking to apply for the wage subsidy scheme have been urged to take a different route so it can be fast-tracked.
“Employers looking to enrol in JobKeeper at this stage should phone us on 13 28 56 so we can provide tailored advice based on their individual circumstances and streamline their application,” the ATO said.
The JobKeeper scheme, introduced on 30 March as part of the Federal Government’s third stimulus bill worth $130 billion, is scheduled to end on 28 March this year.
As of December, there were 1.54 million workers on the scheme, and Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has estimated that 100,000 Australians could lose their jobs when it ends.
But Victoria’s third lockdown has triggered more calls to extend JobKeeper, the SMH reported.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has ruled out further extensions of JobKeeper, but said there would be targeted support for specific sectors after the scheme’s end.
“Treasury is analysing the data in the tourism industry. The [Tourism] Minister, Dan Tehan, is talking to the industry leaders and we’ll consider whatever future targeted assistance may be required,” he said on 31 January.
On 23 January, Tehan said he was “engaging heavily with the tourism industry” as to “how the government may be able to assist them”, The Guardian reported.
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