There have been a number of ongoing attempts to help the ATO support Linux systems '” not just relating to AUSkey, but also in terms of the company's e-tax package used by millions of Australians each year to file their tax returns.
For example, in July 2010, Linux Australia president John Ferlito revealed he and others were working on a way for Linux users to link in to the government's Standard Business Reporting system '” which attempts to reduce the reporting burden on business by providing a streamlined approach to meeting reporting requirements of different agencies throughout Australia.
However, as recently as May this year, the ATO stipulated that the 2010 version of the e-tax software would not be compatible with either Linux or Mac operating systems when it launched in the middle of this year. The software is maintained by local IT services company DWS.
The ATO does state on its site that e-tax has been tested successfully on Mac OS X, running in a Parallels or VMware virtualised environment or natively in a Windows install through Boot Camp.
Image credit: Larry Ewing
