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2nd June 2009

Tax Bonus Payments - Government Stimulus Package

Australians living overseas and temporary residents may be entitled to receive tax bonus payments.

If you were an Australian resident for tax purposes for the 2007-08 financial year, your taxable income was less than $100,000 and you meet all the other eligibility criteria, you are entitled to receive the tax bonus payment. This applies even if you were in Australia on a temporary resident visa.

The tax bonus payments are part of the Australian Government's Nation Building - Economic Stimulus Plan.

What do you need to do?
You need to lodge your 2007-08 tax return before 30 June 2009 and meet some eligibility criteria to receive the bonus.

If you have already lodged your 2007-08 tax return
If you are eligible for the tax bonus, the Tax Office will automatically calculate your entitlement and send the payment to your bank account or mail a cheque to the address you nominated in your 2007-08 tax return, unless you or your agent changed your details.

The Tax Office has already started making payments. Because of the large number of payments being made, please don't call about the progress of individual payments until after 16 May 2009.

If you have not yet lodged your 2007-08 tax return you can:
use e-tax to lodge online until 31 May 2009
use a tax agent, or
Download TaxPack 2008 and send it by mail so it reaches the Tax Office before 30 June 2009.

For more information

Go to www.ato.gov.au to find out how much you will get and for more details on eligibility.

If you have any further questions and are in Australia, call 1300 686 636.

If you are calling from outside Australia call +61 2 6216 1111 between the hours of 8.00am to 5.00pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) and ask to be transferred to the tax bonus hotline.