Privacy Policy & Data Governance

Commitment to Fiduciary Confidentiality

Taxnet Pty Ltd (“Taxnet”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), operating under ABN 40 610 387 881, is committed to safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and privacy of all personal, commercial, and financial information entrusted to us by our clients and website visitors.

As a registered CPA Australia Public Practice, an authorised Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) registered tax agent, and an accredited member firm of the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), our handling of your information is strictly governed by:

• The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs);
• The Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015 issued under the Privacy Act 1988;
• The Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA) Code of Professional Conduct;
• The National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth) (NCCP Act); and
• APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants issued by the Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board.

Personal & Financial Information We Collect

To provide senior-level taxation strategy, accounting lodgements, and credit assistance, Taxnet collects various categories of information necessary to fulfill our professional engagements:

How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal and financial information through transparent, lawful means:

• Direct Client Communication: During in-person discovery meetings at our Doncaster East suites, secure video conferences, telephone calls, and structured digital questionnaires;
• Secure Website Submissions: When you complete an inquiry or booking form on taxnet.com.au;
• Client Portal & Cloud Integrations: Via direct invitation into cloud accounting platforms (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online) or encrypted document transmission;
• Government Agencies & Regulators: Directly from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) via our registered Tax Agent Portal, and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC);
• Previous Professional Advisers: From your predecessor accountant upon execution of formal Ethical Clearance documentation pursuant to CPA Australia professional standards; and
• Credit Reporting Bodies & Financial Institutions: With your express written consent when applying for residential mortgages or commercial credit facilities.

Purpose of Collection, Use & Disclosure

Taxnet collects and uses your information strictly for legitimate commercial and fiduciary advisory objectives:

• Preparing and lodging annual Income Tax Returns, Business Activity Statements (BAS), Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) returns, and SMSF compliance accounts with the ATO;
• Delivering proactive business structuring, cashflow advisory, Division 7A loan planning, and corporate secretarial management with ASIC;
• Structuring, assessing, and submitting residential mortgage, refinancing, and commercial equipment finance applications to Australian banks and accredited non-bank lenders;
• Communicating critical statutory deadlines, regulatory tax reforms, and practice updates relevant to your enterprise; and
• Complying with statutory reporting requirements under the Corporations Act 2001, TASA 2009, and AML/CTF Act 2006.

Tax File Number (TFN) Security

Tax File Numbers are subject to heightened legislative protection under the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015. Taxnet strictly adheres to all statutory restrictions:

• Your TFN is only requested and used for authorised taxation and superannuation compliance purposes;
• We will never disclose your TFN to third parties (including lenders or commercial brokers) without explicit legislative sanction or distinct written authority;
• TFNs stored within our secure cloud databases are encrypted at rest; and
• When records reach the conclusion of statutory retention periods, TFNs are securely de-identified or destroyed in accordance with TPB guidance.

Data Storage, Sovereignty & Cybersecurity

Taxnet employs enterprise-grade cybersecurity measures engineered to protect sensitive client records against loss, unauthorized access, alteration, or interception:

• Data Sovereignty: Primary cloud infrastructure and document repositories reside within certified Australian ISO 27001 data centers located in Melbourne and Sydney;
• Transport & At-Rest Encryption: All website interactions and API endpoints enforce TLS 1.3 encryption. Internal databases utilize AES-256 encryption;
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): All partner, staff, and external administrative access mandates hardware-backed or authenticator-based multi-factor authentication;
• Certified Cloud Ecosystems: We partner exclusively with accredited cloud accounting platforms (Xero, MYOB, Intuit QuickBooks) adhering to SOC-2 Type II benchmark audits; and
• Physical Suite Security: Our Doncaster East offices maintain biometric/code-controlled access, clean desk policies, and secure on-site document destruction bins.

Retention & Disposal of Financial Records

Under section 382-5 of Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (Cth) and associated legislation, taxpayers and registered tax agents must retain accounting records, receipts, and supporting tax working papers for a statutory minimum period of five (5) to seven (7) years from the date of assessment or transaction completion.

Upon the expiration of statutory retention obligations and where records are no longer required for active professional representation, electronic records are permanently purged and physical documents are shredded by licensed confidential waste contractors.

Your Rights to Access & Correction

Under Australian Privacy Principles 12 and 13, you have the right to request access to any personal information Taxnet holds about you, and to request correction if you believe the information is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete.

To exercise your rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer. We will respond within thirty (30) days. In certain circumstances where statutory exemptions apply (such as ongoing legal proceedings or client legal privilege), we will provide a written explanation detailing the statutory rationale.

Website Cookies & Digital Analytics

When you browse taxnet.com.au, we may employ standard HTTP cookies and privacy-respecting analytics to measure aggregate website traffic, optimize page rendering speeds, and improve visitor usability.

Cookies do not extract personal identifiers from your device. You may disable cookies in your browser settings at any time without losing access to essential website functionality.

Privacy Officer Contact Details & Complaints

If you have any questions, concerns, or wish to lodge a formal complaint regarding Taxnet’s handling of your personal information under the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact our appointed Privacy Officer:

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you retain the statutory right to escalate your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.