ATO says bonus payments to roll out from next week

Submitted 7/04/2009

AAP

The Federal Government's cash bonus payments of up to $900 will start rolling out to millions of taxpayers from next week, the Australian Taxation Office says.

The High Court today rejected a legal challenge to the constitutional validity of the bonus payment legislation, part of the Government's fiscal stimulus package.

Tax Commissioner Michael D'Ascenzo said those who had already lodged their 2007-08 tax return and met eligibility criteria need do nothing more to receive the payment.

"We will be progressively sending payments to the address or bank account people nominated as their preference in their 2007-08 tax return unless they updated those details since then," he said in a statement.

Eligible people who received their 2007-08 assessment notice before March 27 could expect to be paid between next week and May 16.

Those who received their assessment notice after March 27 can expect their bonus payment around four weeks after they received their notice.

Mr D'Ascenzo urged people to be patient.

"We are working closely with Australia Post and the Reserve Bank to distribute around 7.4 million payments over the next six weeks," he said.

"Due to the large number of payments we ask that people don't call us about the progress of individual payments while we are still distributing them."

Mr D'Ascenzo said it was not too late for those who had yet to submit their tax return, although that still needed to be done by June 30, unless an extension had been granted.