e-tax 2012 on Mac and Linux FOI

Applicant Details

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Description of Documents

Access requested: Photocopies

This freedom of information request is for the complete source code of the e-tax 2012 computer program. Any encryption keys or passwords should be redacted.

Source code is defined as “...any collection of computer instructions (possibly with comments) written using some human-readable computer language...” [1]

An encryption key is defined as “...a piece of information (a parameter) that determines the functional output of a cryptographic algorithm or cipher.” [2]

A password is defined as “a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource.” [3]

Background

The purpose of this freedom of information request is to improve interoperability between e-tax and non-Windows operating systems (such as Apple Mac OS X and Linux). There is no intention of modifying the e-tax software or interfacing directly to ATO servers.

Australia has one of the highest rates of tax agent usage in the world [4]. Enabling the 7-14% [5] of computer users who use a Mac or Linux to use etax would be helpful in lowering this figure.

In addition the tax commissioner announced in 2007 the ATO were developing a cross-platform version. "Looking even further ahead we will redevelop e-tax to make it compatible with any computer system that has internet access." [6] I am trying to help the Australian people and the ATO by doing this patch in my spare time.

UPDATE: e-tax 2012 on Mac and Linux FOI Part 2

References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_code
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encryption_key
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password
4. http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/most-australians-still-use-tax-agent/story-e6frfmd9-1225845045302
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems#Web_clients
6. http://www.ato.gov.au/corporate/content.aspx?doc=/content/83847.htm