The Federal Government has reached out with help to help businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m from the Government and we are here to help. And here is some free money to help you,” they say.

Yes, there is a strong element of the COVID-19 stimulus packages referenced in the above. By now many hardworking and devastated business owners will have been severely disadvantaged, believing they couldn’t access support measures.

What does that tell us?

Simply that nothing is as easy as it seems. There is rarely, if ever, a simple process.

Allow me to explain.

Let’s continue to reference the COVID-19 stimulus packages. It could easily be any government announcement.

Our politicians, well-meaning and self-serving alike, decided the crisis was so severe and the impact so devastating on employers and employees, they simply had to do something.

“Give them money, that always works,” they say.

“You beauty, I’ll expect the cash tomorrow,” we say.

“We love it,” says the Tax Office. “But thanks for the ‘hospital pass.’ We’ll bend over backwards to make this happen, but it’s all new to us. We haven’t seen the legislation. We need time to digest the information, design processes so that everybody who should get paid, gets paid.

“Oh, and of course we have to modify our systems.”

But credit where credit is due. While is fair to say that not everybody is happy, our politicians and those who have the job to get the money out there, have done a sterling job.

Of course, when you run a business you are on the pointy end. And when you’re under stress, detail doesn’t mean much. You just want and need the money. You and your employees need certainty. And quickly.

But, there is always a process. And because COVID-19 was thrust upon us, the rules and the understanding of the intent changed almost daily.

The implementation process required changes to a multitude of systems and despite all the will in the world, they could not be addressed, announced and implemented at one time unless they said one thing today only to change their story tomorrow. Or we could wait three or four weeks for an announcement.

They decided to make appropriate announcements as each step of the process was understood and agreed.

Human nature often demands impatience. Well-meaning advisers were quick to communicate with their desperate clients and decisions were taken based on incomplete information. Sometimes those decisions involved testing the limits of legality.

It was clear from the outset that it Australian Tax Office was charged with implementing the measures, and that Tax Professionals (BAS agents and tax agents) would be the conduit for advice and recommendations in relation to those measures. Their professional associations worked with the regulators to make sure that as far as possible, the intent of the scheme, was honoured.

Unqualified and poorly informed advisers, unfortunately including some tax professionals, un-caringly lead unsuspecting business owners up the garden path, often with unjustifiably high fees. And because incomplete information was provided, some clearly illegal decisions will result in later scrutiny by the Tax Office.

So, what’s the lesson here?

With all will in the world, there is no simple process. Free money does not just appear in bank accounts overnight. Information provided by ill-informed advisers and well-meaning friends often leads to the wrong conclusion and unnecessary anger and stress.

Caring tax professionals make it their business to help you and your business get everything you deserve. Their job is to keep up with changes in legislation and entitlements which are administered by the Tax Office. And their professional associations and the Tax Practitioners Board make sure they do.

Nothing is as simple as it seems. There is never a simple process when dealing with legislation and regulations. There is of course always an easier path.

This article was first published in the May 2020 issue of AP. The digital version of the magazine is available here.

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