The purpose of the Rules as Code (RaC) Proof of Concept (PoC) working group is to leverage members collective knowledge and experience in co-designing and evaluating the ATO’s Rules as Code PoC. The Department of Finance is providing a Rules as Code sandpit for the PoC, along with resources to implement a limited-scope ATO use case.
This meeting was held on Wednesday 30 July 2025.
Key outcomes
Summary
Below is a summary of key outcomes. Note: the full key messages and any artefacts are available in DSP Hub.
The group agreed to reconsider GST registration as the primary PoC use case due to its complexity and limited value, and will explore alternatives such as capital gains, asset depreciation, or industry code alignment.
A proposed RaC testing approach involves translating a challenging ATO webpage into code for DSP usability testing, focusing on technical feasibility.
DSPs raised concerns about compliance boundaries under Tax Practitioner Board (TPB) and Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA), highlighting the need for clearer definitions of Business activity statement (BAS) and tax services.
Validating OpenFisca integration was prioritised over content completeness, with even one authoritative rule seen as a proof of concept.
TPB will be actively involved in co-design to define regulatory limits and support compliance guided by TASA.
Strong support was expressed for iterative collaboration with DSPs, using live testing to refine nudges and scenarios.
Next steps
- Finalising the problem statement.
- Confirming the use case.
- Clarifying DSP testing roles.
- Outlining governance.
- Identifying testing constraints.
For any questions about Rules as Code Proof of Concept (PoC) working group, please raise a ticket in the DSP Service desk.
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