Movement may be afoot on the complex issue of individual tax residency in Australia. In 2019, the Board of Taxation released a report which contained a proposed model for modernising individual residency. The new framework was designed to simplify the tax system and reduce compliance costs for individuals and employers. The model proposed uses a […]
The ATO has given the green light for taxpayers with uncomplicated financial affairs to lodge their returns. It says that the information it collects from employers, banks, private health insurers, share registries and other institutions has now been pre-filled and is ready to go on either myTax (accessed through myGov) if you’re lodging your own […]
The ATO has warned taxpayers against entering into a scheme through their self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) which claims to allow individuals to purchase property using money from their super. This sort of scheme typically involves the rollover of a member’s super benefits from an existing fund into a new or existing SMSF, which then […]
The ATO has recently issued new GST guidance specifically relevant to crypto assets. For GST purposes, the ATO considers that digital currency is a crypto asset utilising cryptography and distributed ledger technology to make secure transactions. The ATO has excluded loyalty points, in-game tokens, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), stablecoins, and initial coin offerings (ICOs) (if they […]
Remember temporary expensing, which allowed just about every business (unless annual turnover was at least $5 billion) to immediately write off the cost of an eligible depreciating asset? Well, that is no longer available. To use temporary full expensing, you had to acquire and use, or install ready for use, an eligible depreciating business asset […]
The cents per kilometre method is a simple way to work out how much you can deduct for car-related work or business expenses. Only individuals, including sole traders, or partnerships (where at least one partner is an individual) can use the cents per kilometre method. So if you operate your business through a company or […]
Businesses that make payments to contractors may need to report these payments and lodge a taxable payments annual report (TPAR). You will need to lodge a TPAR if your business made payments in the last financial year (ending 30 June 2023) to contractors providing the following services: Contractors can include subcontractors, consultants and independent contractors. […]
The ATO has extended its motor vehicles data matching program once again to encompass the 2022–2023 to 2024–2025 financial years. For each financial year, the ATO will acquire information from all eight of the state and territory motor registries regarding where a vehicle has been transferred or newly registered during the applicable period, and where […]
Retirees who draw an account-based pension from their super need to be aware that the 50% reduction in the minimum pension drawdown rate for superannuation and annuities which applied for previous years will no longer apply from 1 July 2023. This temporary measure was introduced by the previous Federal Government as part of its response […]
As foreshadowed last year, the “buy now pay later” (BNPL) market will soon be facing more regulation. Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones recently announced that the government will be moving forward to bring BNPL within the Credit Act’s application to apply a tailored version of the responsible lending obligations to BNPL products. Late in 2022, the […]
The ATO has reminded eligible small business taxpayers to take advantage of the lodgment penalty amnesty program announced in the recent 2023–2024 Federal Budget. The amnesty applies to tax obligations covering income tax returns, business activity statements or FBT returns that were originally due between 1 December 2019 and 28 February 2022. Superannuation obligations and […]
The Federal Government has warned of scammers targeting Australians ahead of tax time 2023. The number of scam reports received to date this year has topped 19,843 and impersonation scams are becoming increasingly commonplace. These scams typically consist of unsolicited contact through SMS, email, or on social media offering refunds or help to solve tax […]
As the financial year draws to a close, it’s time to start thinking about whether your year-end tax planning is in order. Tax planning requires consideringyour income and deductions for the whole financial year, as well as you’ve met your obligations – for example, whether you’ve made tax-related elections on time and prepared other appropriate […]
The government has announced that from 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay their employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages (ie payday super). The three-year lead time is to give businesses, super funds, payroll providers and other parts of the superannuation system sufficient time to prepare for the […]
The Victorian Government has announced that transfer duty (formerly “stamp duty”) will be phased out for commercial and industrial properties from 1 July 2024. Instead, an annual 1% tax on the unimproved value of such property (the annual property tax) will be introduced. This was announced as part of the State Budget handed down on […]