In a comment article published in today’s AFR, senior partner Mark Leibler draws on half a century of experience as a tax lawyer to reflect on the legacy of outcoming Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan.
Mark agrees with Mr Jordan’s own assessment that his highlight achievement has been cultural transformation of the Tax Office, which has “demonstrably permeated the organisation and enhanced the effective operation of our tax system”.
“Being an effective tax professional also involves layers of human interaction - much of that interaction is bound up in negotiating the all-too-often opaque workings of the Tax Office,” Mark writes.
“Effecting the necessary, meaningful cultural change in a large organisation like the ATO is difficult – a bit like a tugboat trying to turn around an aircraft carrier. It has been a work in progress for tax commissioners over many years.
“Building on the work of his predecessors, Jordan’s impact has demonstrably permeated the organisation … this is real and impressive organisational change, and it’s taken place within an organisation whose power extends into each and every Australian home.”
To read the full article click here.
