Two federal ombudsmen have released a critical report on the manner in which the Australian Tax Office has pursued old debts that had previously been ‘written off’.

In some cases, these debts are reappearing after more than a decade and, to the surprise of the taxpayer, come with hefty interest charges.

The ATO have said they are required under legislation to pursue the outstanding debts and that they are owed more than $15 billion from 1.8 million entities, largely consisting of…