More than five years after her father died, a Canberra retiree received a notice from the Australian Taxation Office concerning an outstanding debt for the estate. The deceased estate, which had been finalised years earlier, can “avoid future debt collection action” if it pays the arrears of more than $800, the letter warned. There was almost no other information in the ATO letter, other than that the debt is related to income tax. The retiree, who asked for her name not to be published, described the letter’s tone as “passive aggressive”. But it is the long time period between her father’s passing and receiving the debt letter…
