78% of tax agent-prepared returns have errors
That’s not just an ATO stat, it’s a wake-up call. According to the ATO’s Individuals Not in Business Tax Gap Report, a staggering 78% of tax returns prepared by registered tax agents contain errors.
Most of these are unintentional, of course – but they highlight a deeper issue in the industry: Many accountants rely solely on base-level tax knowledge – income, deductions, exemptions, structures. That’s the starting line, not the finish. If you want to move from compliance-driven to value-driven, tax planning is where the real opportunity lies.
To deliver real impact for clients, you need to go beyond the basics and build expertise in:
- Understanding 200+ tax strategies — how they work, when to use them, and which clients they suit.
- Diagnosing client circumstances and problem-solving to uncover high-value opportunities.
- Educating clients on how tax planning works and what’s possible.
- Communicating the benefits clearly, confidently, and with real-world numbers.
When you can demonstrate how your advice saves a client $20K, $50K, even $100K+ in tax — that’s when they truly value your service.
The best part?
If you’re already a registered tax agent, you can deliver tax planning legally and compliantly — with no extra licences required.
At TaxFitness, we help accountants build scalable, profitable tax planning divisions — without reinventing the wheel.
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"You’d be stupid not to try to cut your tax bill and those that don’t are stupid in business"
- Bono: U2