Why lockdown DPNs put accountants in jeopardy

On occasion, the primary time a director turns into conscious that the ATO is pursuing or would possibly pursue the director in my view is when the DPN lands in his or her lap. The massive surprise comes when the director learns that the DPN is a so-called lockdown DPN, which necessarily signifies that except the corporate can pay the ATO debt, the director will transform in my view liable. And that might sooner or later result in his or her chapter. Beneath a lockdown DPN, administrators are not able to steer clear of non-public legal responsibility by way of striking the corporate within the arms of an exterior management, comparable to a voluntary administrator or liquidator. 

The lowdown on lockdown DPNs

By contrast to a typical DPN, lockdown DPNs are issued in instances the place no longer handiest has the director didn’t purpose the corporate to discharge its tax tasks, however she or he has additionally didn’t purpose the corporate to deal with its lodgment tasks (i.e. no longer accommodation trade job statements, instalment job statements or superannuation ensure statements inside of 3 months of the lodgment due date).

In consequence, the consequences beneath a lockdown DPN are extra critical — there is not any approach for the director to cancel the penalty rather then totally paying the debt (i.e. striking the corporate into voluntary management or liquidation won’t extinguish the director’s non-public legal responsibility for the ATO debt).

If the director does no longer pay the ATO debt beneath the DPN, it may be anticipated that the ATO will take enforcement motion in opposition to the director which might, if no longer paid or settled, in the end result in his or her chapter.

Corporations, specifically SMEs, will continuously depend on their exterior tax pros to supply them with the ATO’s newest enforcement tendencies and take proactive steps to make certain that ATO returns are ready and filed on time. 

For the reason that tax pros can be advising loads of businesses, with out powerful programs in position proactive recommendation and warnings would possibly merely slip throughout the web.

May the accountant be liable?

In instances the place a lockdown DPN is issued and the corporate can’t be positioned into exterior management to allow its administrators to flee non-public legal responsibility, the corporate and its administrators would possibly glance to their accountant and or tax agent for reimbursement. The administrators might be able to determine that in the event that they have been suggested of the affect of a lockdown DPN and/or suggested to hotel their returns in a well timed style, they shouldn’t have incurred non-public legal responsibility. Even though the debt isn’t paid, compliance with a minimum of the submitting tasks would imply that handiest a typical DPN could be issued and subsequently the director may just steer clear of non-public legal responsibility by way of merely striking the corporate into exterior management. Administrators can be drawn to the tax skilled’s skilled indemnity insurance coverage to supply recompense for any loss.

It’s smartly established that an accountant’s failure to warn the customer of a selected outcome would possibly render that accountant chargeable for skilled negligence in the similar approach as though she or he had given improper recommendation if:

(1) the subject when it comes to which recommendation is being sought is adequately critical (which is most likely the case when coping with attainable tax legal responsibility), and

(2) the significance that the customer would connect to the recommendation given by way of the accountant when it comes to that subject (i.e. whether or not the customer would imagine the recommendation being of enough significance to affect his or her behaviour).

This take a look at is most likely made out in recognize of DPN claims the place, absent some destroy within the chain of causation, it’s undeniable that the accountant’s recommendation would have a significant affect on a director’s choice to behave in a selected approach — specifically with recognize to the lodgment of tax returns. 

This reasoning is more likely to practice to different tax pros, comparable to tax brokers. In those instances, the court docket will most likely in finding the accountant and or tax agent chargeable for the penalty imposed by way of the DPN.

Additional, tax pros might also in finding themselves liable in contract for breaching the explicit (or, in some instances, even implied) phrases in their retainer settlement, which might ceaselessly impose a duty of due care and talent at the a part of the tax skilled in offering their shoppers with vital updates and warnings.

How do tax pros steer clear of legal responsibility?

Tax pros will have to imagine whether or not they’ve good enough programs in position to make certain that their shoppers are stored up to date, warned and chased if returns have no longer been lodged. A excellent start line could be following trade absolute best practices, which come with:

• Staying on best of ATO updates. The dependancy of incessantly checking updates will have to lower the probabilities of by chance overlooking the rest vital. Anecdotal proof finds many circumstances the place pros idea they have been exercising due care and talent, handiest to determine that they have been following old-fashioned requirements.
• Staying up to the moment with skilled tasks, acceptable regulations and rules.
• All the time together with a disclaimer that the recommendation given is based totally upon the accountant’s personal view of ways the regulation would perform when it comes to the subject in hand, and that the ATO would possibly take a distinct view.
• Retaining information of your communications with the customer and in moderation taking record notes of any calls and recommendation given. For the reason that the usual the tax career will have to adhere to is considered one of due care and talent, being in ownership of complete information of communications with the customer would possibly end up to be important in organising a a success prison defence on this regard.

Trevor Withane is a spouse at Ironbridge Felony.