Still no e-tax for Aussie Mac users
July 23rd, 2007 by Brendon Chase
Mac users will (again) have to find a Windows machine if they want to fill out this year's tax return online.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has stated on its Web site that it is working on a solution for Mac users to fill out their tax online and will trial a possible solution in 2008, with the outlook of it being available in "future years" pending on the success of the trial.
Mac users running emulated versions of Windows might be able to use the e-tax software, but only Windows 2000 or XP is officially supported -- the ATO says Windows Vista "should" work.
While development and support of this essential piece of software is a difficult task, it's disappointing e-tax hasn't moved much sooner to a browser-based solution to circumvent operating system issues.
The existing application built for Win-32 machines and developed in Delphi just isn't up to the task and is out of date. Looking forward, however, the rumour around town is that IBM Global Services has the new government contract to develop the next iteration of the e-tax software. With IBM being a big Java development shop the result will hopefully run on Java which will result for end users an e-tax solution that runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Surely it can't come fast enough for some.
Asserted nicely say set it contains unessential entropy for me. I am distensible to striking your rightish way of descriptor the communicator. Now you add it promiscuous for me to see and use the rootle. Straits you for the airman.
Jay
August 24th, 2007 at 1:34pm
Thanks for the info. Most annoying! You would have thought they would have their act together by now.
E.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:51am
Very frustrating! Thanks for the information
Danny
March 25th, 2009 at 8:48am
Try www.taxtoday.com.au the online return here is web based so MAC users are ok. They can even advance the refund in about 3 days.
Ann
July 31st, 2011 at 3:05pm
I can't believe that 4 years after this article was written, there is still no equivalent E-tax for Mac users! Then again , with this government , I can. Bravo.
Dan
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:44am
Ann, I completely agree. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with these people? It's not frickin rocket science to write an e-tax program for mac. Idiots.
Dan
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:45am
Ann, I completely agree. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with these people? It's not frickin rocket science to write an e-tax program for mac. Idiots.
Gregology
December 14th, 2011 at 11:59am
I am a linux user and feel your pain. How can a government organisation demand that citizens use expensive and useless microsoft products in order to do their tax return. The main reason I don't use windows is becuase it has so many security flaws, I'm not going to use it to do my tax!