Earlier this week eTax director Nicki Haisman told ZDNet Australia the ATO was expecting up to 24,000 users per day to log on to the Web-site ahead of yesterday's deadline.
Last night the ATO issued a release stating it had received a record number of online tax lodgements, with "20,000 lodgements in the past 24 hours causing some delays". A spokesperson for the ATO told ZDNet Australia that nothing had gone wrong or happened to the systems, and that taxpayers attempting to use eTax should keep trying.
The Tax Commissioner Michael Carmody urged people to be patient and keep trying to lodge online, as penalties would not be applied until after November 3.
"We're asking people to be patient and to keep trying at different times over the next few days," Carmody said.
Over 520,000 of Australia's 2.3 million taxpayers have so far lodged their return using eTax.
Given the relative ease of electronic lodgement in lieu of postage, I am not at all surprised that an increasing number of PAYE and PAYG tax payers, companies, and anyone else answerable to the Sovereign, are using this format.
Delivery aside, the actual tax system itself is still an invisible nightmare. Do not forsake the services of an accountant due to this ease, despite how dull the table banter in your consultation is!