What's in a signature

Ever wondered who can sign the PAYG Withholding Summaries?  Or Group Certificates for those preparing them before the 2001 financial year?  Unfortunately it's not necessarily the person responsible for preparing them.  According to Regulation 32 of the Taxation Administration Regulations 1976 it can be any of the following;

• if the entity is an individual - by the individual; and
• if the entity is a trustee - by the trustee; and
• if the entity is a board of trustees:
• by the senior active trustee resident in Australia; or
• if there is no active trustee resident in Australia, by the agent in Australia of the board of trustees; and
• if the entity is a company - by the public officer of the company.

There is a provision in the Regulation that allows for the delegation of this responsibility to someone else.  The relevant document to be filled can be found here.

The Espresso Shot: Even though there is less need for physical signatures with the acceptance of digital documents, be sure you have the right person's name printed.  Especially when it comes to employee documents.