July 1 (Bloomberg) -- As many as 200,000 Australians may miss out on the government’s A$900 ($725) payment to help people cope with the financial crisis, after failing to lodge their tax return before the deadline, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Taxpayers rushed to submit last minute returns, with business at accounting firm H&R Block Inc. increasing fourfold in the past three weeks compared with the same time last year, the newspaper cited regional director Frank Bass as saying.

While some people missed yesterday’s cut-off, a number may have chosen not to file a return to avoid paying bills to the government larger than the $900 cash bonus, the newspaper said, citing Michael Dirkis of the Taxation Institute of Australia.

About 700,000 more tax returns were filed for the 2007-2008 financial year than the previous year, the Herald said, citing Australian Taxation Office figures, with some taxpayers lodging multiple returns or returns from previous years.

To contact the reporter for this story: Phoebe Sedgman at psedgman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 30, 2009 21:32 EDT