‘It doesn’t make sense’: why recipients of ATO ‘robotax’ debt letters are scratching their heads

The Australian Taxation Office’s letter-writing campaign to retrieve old tax debts, which has been compared to robodebt, ranged from a few cents to thousands of dollars. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Australian Taxation Office has conceded that its letter-writing campaign to retrieve old tax debts, ranging from a few cents to thousands of dollars, has caused “unnecessary distress” in the community.

It will now review its approach to the scheme but not erase the debts allegedly owed.