ATO’s revamped ‘robotax’ scheme targets $5.3bn in on-hold debts – some that have been invisible for years

The ATO is notifying taxpayers of ‘on-hold’ debts, some of which predate the five-year retention period for which most Australians are required to keep tax records. Photograph: Lincoln Beddoe/Getty Images

The Australian Taxation Office has relaunched a campaign to retrieve billions of dollars of on-hold debts from taxpayers after conceding flaws in its initial approach, dubbed “robotax”.

Documents released to Guardian Australia show the new program is designed to raise $5.3bn from more than 325,000 taxpayers, largely consisting of individuals and small businesses, which includes sole traders.