The official government tax watchdog says it now has more teeth and is eager to use them, moving more quickly to investigate issues that are hurting taxpayers.
The Inspector-General of Taxation wants public help in identifying his next targets for investigations as he develops his work program for 2017.
Inspector-General Ali Noroozi says his dual role, of complaints-handling and reviewing the administration of the nation's tax and superannuation laws, means he has his "ear to the ground" like never before and can identity problems emerging in the system.
He is urging taxpayers, tax agents or anyone else dealing with the Australian Taxation Office or the Tax Practitioners Board to make a submission with suggestions for review or investigation during the course of next year.
"We're open to people coming up with any issue, including ones that we have looked at before," Mr Noroozi said.
The IGT has unrestricted information-gathering powers, allowing him to obtain evidence and information from the ATO's systems and its public servants, past and present.
Mr Al Noroozi promised "the strictest confidence" for anyone coming forward with with complaints, issues or concerns.
He said his dual role, which he has held since mid-2015, allowed him to get closer to the taxpayer and spot big problems in the system as they emerge.
"If I have a whole bunch of complaints about GST refunds, I can see an issue and I can move quickly to do a review into it and make some recommendations for improvement before it blows up into something huge," he told Fairfax.
"In the past, I would have to wait for a problem to become systemic.
"I've got my ear to the ground now and as soon as I can see there is a critical mass of complaints and there is the potential for much more, then I can move quickly to avert the problem."
