The ATO has announced the appointment of a long serving senior staffer to the role of assistant commissioner of SMSF risk and strategy.
The regulator announced Justin Micale would take on the role from 5 October, with the Australian government directory listing him as the acting assistant commissioner for the ATO’s Smarter Data program, and the ATO confirming with selfmanagedsuper that he would move from that role which he held from February 2020.
In announcing the appointment, the ATO said Micale “brings a 30-year background of leading risk management, data evaluation and analytics focused on the tax affairs of individuals and small businesses”, gathered during his three decades of employment with the regulator.
According to the ATO, Micale’s role will be to “check the pulse of the SMSF environment, leveraging data and industry insights, while leading adaptive strategies that will support SMSFs and their advisers in meeting their obligations”.
“Justin hopes to make it as easy as possible for SMSF auditors to access online services to report SMSF contraventions and audits,” it said.
“He also intends to focus on preventative strategies to help trustees keep their members’ retirement savings safe and secure through improved security checks and fraud controls around illegal early release of super, particularly on the screening of new registrants.”
Earlier this year, the ATO announced that assistant commissioner SMSF segment Dana Fleming would leave that role and move to the to the regulator’s Integrated Compliance area to lead the Intelligence and Assessment Centre.
Fleming’s role has been filled since June by director of SMSF client engagement Steven Keating in an interim capacity until a permanent replacement can be found.
