Summary
Brought to you by the CPA NSW Newcastle and Hunter Branch.
Newcastle & Hunter Branch Chairman: Luka Pilipovic FCPA.
Host: Aaron Bennet CA - Assistant Commissioner, Newcastle ATO.
Facilitator: Daniel Angeli CPA - Client Engagement Director, Newcastle ATO.
Presenters: See below.
Event Summary:
The event will involve speakers from the ATO covering topics relevant to tax practitioners, participants from Industry and university students who are about to start their future careers. Along with technical content, the event will deliver practical information regarding ATO approaches and how to prepare for interactions with the ATO. Attendees have ample opportunities for questions in each of sub-sessions. There will be opportunities for informal discussion, networking and professional development throughout the event.
The sub-sessions of event are:
Sub-session 1: ATO approach to tax issues associated with succession planning
The session is designed to cover topics including:
- What is succession planning
- Why it’s a key ATO focus area for Privately Owned and Wealthy Groups
- What are the key tax considerations and risks
- What we encourage taxpayers to do.
Sub-session 2: The ATO’s debt approach
The session is designed to cover:
- Understanding the ATO’s collectable debt challenge and why we are seeking to reset payment culture
- Learn the four core principles driving ATO debt strategy - support, engagement, firmness, and exit
- See when and how the ATO escalates to firmer actions
- Explore options like payment plans and how the ATO supports restructuring options for small business
- Gain practical insights to how tax practitioners can better support and advise their clients
Sub-session 3: Personal observations on what it’s like to work in ATO having come from a role in Public Practice/Industry
Sub-session 4: ATO approach to Public Groups Compliance
The session is designed to cover topics including:
- Assurance products, Reviews and Audits – different stages in the pipeline
- The four pillars of justified trust – tax governance, tax risks flagged to market, significant transactions and book to tax
- The one constant - Information and evidence to establish the facts
- Examples of the types of enquiries undertaken.
Who Should Attend?
This event is ideal for CPA Australia members, university students, and business professionals .
Why Attend?
Join us for an engaging discussion, learn from experienced experts, and gain valuable insights from ATO practitioners. Participants will also have the opportunity to actively engage in conversations with local ATO officers
Please note: CPA Australia members who attend event will have 4 (four) CPD hours automatically recorded against their Member ID at the completion of the event.
Speakers
Take a look at our speakers scheduled for this event.
Daniel Angeli CPA
Client Engagement Director, Newcastle ATO
Dan has worked in the ATO for over 21 years. Prior to joining the ATO Dan had experience in the health sector and a short stint in public practice. Dan is a CPA and is also a Chartered Tax Advisor. He has worked in the Private Wealth and Public Groups areas focussing on audit. Dan’s maths teacher told him he would make a good accountant. Dan is not quite sure whether that was a compliment or an insult.
Aaron Bennett CA
Assistant Commissioner, Newcastle ATO
Aaron Bennett is the Assistant Commissioner for the Private Capital Program and the Newcastle Engagement and Assurance teams in Public Groups at the ATO in Newcastle. Prior to taking up this role, Aaron was a Senior Technical Adviser and Acting Assistant Commissioner in the ATO’s Tax Counsel Network. Aaron also has engagement and assurance experience from leading the ATO’s managed investment trust assurance program, as well as policy and law design experience from his time working at Treasury. He holds a Bachelor and Master’s of Law and a Bachelor of Business (Economics and Finance).
Section 1 - ATO approach to tax issues associated with succession planning
Nina Cekulis
Director of Risk and Strategy, ATO
Nina Cekulis is a Director in Risk and Strategy at the Australian Taxation Office, with over 15 years’ experience delivering risk and compliance strategies across diverse client segments. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Commerce from the University of Queensland. Since joining the ATO as a graduate in 2011, Nina has developed deep expertise across GST and income tax, with experience spanning private groups, small business, public groups and international tax. Her work includes designing and implementing compliance strategies for new measures such as digital services and low value imported goods, as well as leading broader risk-based approaches across complex client segments. She currently leads strategic initiatives focused on succession planning and wealth transfer risks across privately owned and wealthy groups, with an emphasis on identifying emerging and systemic risks and shaping data driven compliance approaches, alongside education and guidance for taxpayers and their advisers.
Nick Soldas
Senior Leader, ATO
Nick is a senior leader with the Australian Taxation Office, with over 18 years’ experience across the Compliance and Engagement and Law Design and Practice groups. He holds degrees in Commerce and Law and is a Certified Practising Accountant. Nick is currently the Regional Director for Private Wealth Engagement and Assurance teams in Newcastle and Gosford. He leads the delivery of major compliance and engagement programs, including the Top 500 Program, Private Wealth Compliance Program, and Commercial Deals program, focusing on Australia’s largest and most complex private groups. His teams work across a broad range of tax and governance risks, including reporting obligations, CGT, Division 7A, trusts, lifestyle assets, international arrangements, and succession planning. They also maintain a strong industry focus on property and construction, private equity, and tax advisory firms.
Alex Norman
Alex graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2011 with a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Communication (majoring in Public Relations) and Diploma of Legal Practice. She was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2012. Prior to joining the ATO, Alex worked in a Newcastle law firm in the areas of personal injury and employment law. Her career at the ATO, since 2012, has spanned a range of areas including reviewing objections to audit decisions for small business and individual taxpayers, managing and training Entry Level Program participants for the Newcastle office. The majority of her time with the ATO has been within the Private Wealth market, where she focuses on assurance and compliance activities for large and complex private groups across a broad range of tax matters, including succession planning, CGT, Division 7A, consolidation, income, deductions, Part IVA and international tax matters. Alex is also an Information Gathering Adviser specialising in advice on the Commissioner’s information gathering powers under the Tax Administration Act 1953 and has lectured at the university’s Law School in CGT and Tax & Trust Law.
Section 2 - ATO Debt Approach
Marcus Ryan
Assistant Commissioner, ATO
Marcus Ryan, CTA, is an Assistant Commissioner with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), leading the Strategic Recovery and Insolvency branch of its Frontline Compliance area. He is responsible for the ATO’s highest risk and highest value debt cases, including representing the Commissioner in complex insolvency matters. Marcus previously served in the ATO’s Tax Counsel Network, providing specialist advice on international tax and corporate and financial transactions and major programs such as JobKeeper. He joined the ATO in 2017 following a career in private practice as a tax lawyer and holds a Masters of Law (Taxation) and an Executive Master of Public Administration.
Section 3 - Personal observations on what it’s like to work in ATO having come from a role in Public Practice/Industry
Tarsha Halsey
Tax Officer, Newcastle ATO
Tarsha works in the Private Wealth business line in the Newcastle ATO. Tarsha began her career in public practice while completing the final years of her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle. She spent 5 years as an accountant across two local accounting firms before joining the ATO through the Graduate Program. Since joining the ATO in 2022, Tarsha has gained experience across a range of areas including Foreign Investment, Frontline Services, Criminal Investigations and Public Groups, with her current role in Private Wealth focusing on GST engagement and assurance.
Matthias Halliday CA
Tax Officer, Public Groups Business, Newcastle ATO
Matthias works in the Public Group’s business line in the Newcastle ATO. His ATO career spans from 2020 and includes roles covering GST, income tax, based in Sydney and Newcastle, work types across the Public Groups Top 100 and Top 1000 populations, as well as various ad-hoc Covid related projects. Most recently, I have been principally in the Technical Director role for the Newcastle Top 1000 program for circa 2 years. Matthias’s external career includes roles at boutique Sydney venture capital firms and multiple Sydney mid-tier accounting firms. His educational background includes two undergraduate degrees from UNSW, masters degree from USyd, CA, various other non-related (Fin Planning), etc courses and regular on-the-job upskilling.
Blair Powell
Tax Officer, Public Groups Business, Newcastle ATO
Blair works in the Public Groups business line in the Newcastle ATO. Prior to this he was a Senior Associate of chartered accounting firm for 23 years, and a Director of chartered accounting firm for 15 years. He has a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws, MBA, Grad diploma of legal prac, Grad Dipl Fin Plan, former GAICD, Registered Company Auditor, Tax Agent, External Examiner, SMSF auditor. Professional memberships include CPA, Chartered Accountant, Former member of NTAA, NSW Law Society.
Paul Taylor
Tax Officer, Public Groups Business, Newcastle ATO
Paul works in the Public Groups business line in the Newcastle ATO. Prior to the ATO he worked in M&A and forensic accounting. He was previously CFO/Director of a diversified family company and before that Chartered Accountant London - Touche Ross, and in Newcastle. Fellow of the CA ANZ , under and post graduate qualifications in Business.
Section 4 - ATO approach to Public Groups Compliance
Gus Parmeter
Tax Officer, Public Groups Business, Newcastle ATO
Gus works in the Public Groups business line in the Newcastle ATO. He has worked at the ATO since 2000, primarily in income tax audit and compliance roles in the large market, along with short stints in the GST and small and medium business segments. His educational background includes undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in commerce and law.
Brent Fallon
Tax Officer, Public Groups Business, Newcastle ATO
Brent works in the Public Groups business line in the Newcastle ATO. He has worked at the ATO since the year 2008, primarily in income tax audit and compliance roles in the large market, along with short stints in shopfront roles. His educational background includes undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in commerce and accounting.
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