In response to a discussion and motion at the 2023 SCAA AGM, SCAA has been, and will continue to, report any wool industry ‘cash jobs’ to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
We are taking this approach for the following reasons:
- Cash jobs erode the values that are essential to running both a profitable and sustainable businesses as well as the industry overall.
- Cash work shrinks the ‘wage-pool’ and drives up Workers Compensation rates for those who insure their workers.
- Farmers not paying Super reduce workers’ pay by 11% (and increase the pension burden of taxpayers in years to come).
- Cash jobs force workers to accept poor working conditions and hazards that increase workers’ dislike of the industry.
- Cash jobs often happen on weekends, fatiguing workers and making them less productive and prone to hazards during the week.
- The average tax rate of a worker earning $50,000 is 15%, so to give away 11% in Super to be uninsured and breaking the law (tax evasion) doesn’t make much sense.
Cash jobs can be reported to the ATO using their tipoff form.
Workers can make a claim with the ATO for missing super using their unpaid super tool.