‘Taking the p***’: Aussies rage at ATO online queue

Aussies have lashed out at the ATO for having to wait in a virtual queue to file their tax return - with some comparing the delays to the shambolic Taylor Swift tour sale.

ATO service outage on July 17. Picture: Twitter

Aussies have lashed out after being forced to wait over an hour in a virtual queue while trying to complete their tax return.

Frustrated taxpayers took to social media to complain after logging in to their myGov account only to be met with a “hang tight” message on the Australian Taxation Office website.

“To ensure the best experience when you gain access to our online services, we’re currently managing the number of people who can log in. Thanks for being patient.”

Dozens compared it to the shambolic scenes in late June, which saw thousands of Australian Taylor Swift fans stuck in a virtual “lounge” for hours, waiting for their chance to purchase an elusive ticket for the pop star’s Eras tour.

“Hope I can get an A reserve tax return,” joked one woman stuck in the ATO queue.

Another shared a screenshot of her loading page to TikTok, writing: “When the queue to lodge my tax return is giving me PTSD from Eras Tour tickets.”

ATO service outage on July 17. Picture: Twitter

Others took to social media in hopes the ATO would respond to their inquiries about the wait times.

One Twitter user summarised the ordeal.

“Waiting page to access the ATO through MyGov … Are they taking the p**s? Surely our taxpaying money can afford proper servers?” he wrote.

A woman, just wanting to access her details, was also sent to the queue.

“WTF is this?! You are now making me wait in a virtual queue as well?” she asked.

“I just want to check my details … arghhhhh. Why? Please explain.”

The online queue was compared to Ticketek’s sale of Taylor Swift Eras tickets. Picture: Fernando Leon

One Swift-inspired user wrote: “Ah yes … (ATO) ensuring you have ‘the best experience’ by having you wait an indeterminate length of time to log in, instead of ramping up server capacity.”

“Are they using Ticketek for their back-end services?”

Another woman also compared the ordeal to “the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Ticketek debacle.”

“I better get some money back in my tax return to compensate me for this trauma,” she said.

The woman then claimed she had another loading screen for “five minutes”.

The woman eventually wrote, “I got in briefly but kept getting errors before finally being booted out back to the queue.”

“The queue that has been put in place “to ensure the best experience when you gain access” is failing miserably,” she wrote.

The ATO told users that demand was high and the waiting room had been implemented to “help manage traffic and give you the best possible online experience.”

“We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank you for your patience,” users were told.

Others were told the issue was being investigated and to try clearing their cache or to try another browser.

The user complaints peaked on Monday last week, with Downdetector currently showing no issue with MyGov services.

An ATO spokesperson explained the purpose of the queue system, which has been in place since 2020, stating, “It is a standard method used by many organisations to manage online user experience.”

“In order to manage high volumes of users accessing ATO Online services during Tax Time, we activated the ATO Online waiting room which provides a waiting room experience to help manage user traffic and ensure system performance for ATO online users.

“This means while some users are still able to access our online services without issue, others are placed in a queue to await access to services. There is no need to call and report this matter.”

The deadline for Australians to lodge their tax returns is October 31.

The ATO emphasised that waiting until the end of July enables them to gather data from banks, financial institutions, private health insurers, and government agencies, resulting in a smoother and faster lodgement process and ensuring quicker tax refunds.