A BAS package specifically designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) take control of their tax payments has been launched online by Brisbane-based EzyCorp.
EzyBAS, the online version of a CD that has sold more than 70,000 copies, gives SMEs three options for filling in their BAS.
The first is a questionnaire method that allows the taxpayer to answer questions without even looking at the BAS - a great option for first-time users and those nervous about the form.
The second uses a step-by-step process similar to the 'wizard' approach used by many software packages, and the third is the express method for competent users.
Kim Redstall, director of marketing for the EzyBAS Group, claims that in terms of usability, his product is streets ahead of any other product offered to the SME market.
He says all three options are available to subscribers of the service for $132 annually (including GST), with a 90-day unconditional guarantee.
The system takes the BAS process another few steps, allowing the business' accountant to check the form online, then it can be either printed and transferred to the Tax Office's form, or sent electronically.
The accountant, who must be registered at the site to get a login and password (for free), will be sent an email when the BAS is complete.
An attachment in the email provides a link to the completed form online.
"On one hand we found that accountants were telling us they do not want to be completing BAS forms, on another SMEs are sick of accountant's bills for BAS completion," Redstall says.
"Yet a middle ground solution was virtually non-existent.
"Whilst many of the popular accounting software products provide excellent tracking of the GST, they do not allow for full completion of all areas of the BAS, and our research suggested that many were collating basic information from their accounting software and trying to muddle through the process."
More information is available from
www.ezybas.com.