From 1 July 2025, new professional standards will come into effect under the Tax Agent Services Act (TASA). These updates have been introduced by the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) to promote even greater clarity and consistency across the tax profession.
At VI Partners, we already hold ourselves to a high professional standard — these changes simply formalise many of the practices we’ve long had in place. That said, there are a few small adjustments you may notice in how we work with you going forward.
We want to be clear and upfront — these changes may slightly affect how we issue engagement letters, how we communicate with you, and how we send and store documentation. These updates are about improving transparency, ensuring consistency, and reinforcing your rights as a client.
Here’s what to expect:
More People Will Now Need to Sign an Engagement Letter
In the past, one engagement letter may have covered an entire family group, couple, or business structure. Under the new TASA requirements, we’re now required to provide individual engagement letters to each taxpayer we act for — even if they’re part of a group we’ve worked with previously.
This helps ensure:
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The services we’re delivering to you are clearly outlined
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Your responsibilities are made clear
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You formally consent to us acting on your behalf
As a result, you may receive a separate proposal or engagement to sign, even if someone else in your group has already accepted theirs.
You’ll See More Proactive Communication
If anything arises during our work that may significantly affect the scope of services we’re providing, we’re now required to formally notify you.
We’ve always prioritised keeping clients informed, but these changes set out a consistent framework for when and how that communication takes place.
Stronger Documentation, Same Trusted Support
You may notice clearer language in our proposals and engagement letters, including:
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What services are included
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What’s excluded from scope
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Your rights and responsibilities
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How to raise a concern if needed
As part of these updated requirements, you may also see more formal or specific requests from us to provide supporting documentation for certain claims, deductions, or transactions. While we’ve always taken care to ensure your position is accurate and well-substantiated, we’re now expected to retain more of this evidence on file, not just sight it or confirm it has been checked.
This means we may ask you to upload, email, or sign off on certain supporting materials — even where that hasn’t always been required in the past. These extra steps are all about aligning with strengthened compliance requirements and ensuring you’re well protected in the event of an ATO review.
Your Rights and Access to Information
Under the new standards, you have the right to raise a concern or make a complaint about our services. We’re confident in the quality of our work, but we also believe in being transparent and accessible if something isn’t quite right.
You’ll find information about our key disclosures (such as our registration status and responsibilities as a registered tax agent) on our website. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with this information at any time: 🔗 www.vipartners.com.au
What’s Changing Behind the Scenes
We’ve updated our systems, policies, and internal training to comply with the TPB’s new requirements. You don’t need to take any action unless we request it — and we’ll make any required steps (such as signing a new engagement) clear and simple.
New Rules Around Client Conduct
Another key change is that we now have a formal obligation to disengage from clients who are not doing the right thing. If a client is knowingly providing false or misleading information, or refusing to comply with tax laws, we are required to cease acting for them. While this has always aligned with our ethical standards, it is now an explicit requirement under the updated Code of Professional Conduct.
Learn More
You can read more about the changes introduced by the TPB here:
🔗 TPB: Changes to the Code of Professional Conduct – Factsheet
As always, if you have questions or would like to talk through any of these updates, we’re here to help.
