The transfer balance cap which limits the amount of capital that can be transferred into a tax-exempt retirement phase will not increase for the 2024–2025 income year, based on the release of December 2023 consumer price index (CPI) numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This means the figure will remain at $1.9 million […]
With the rise in businesses purchasing electric vehicles (EVs) for the use of their employees, the ATO has finalised its guidelines setting out the methodology for calculating the cost of electricity for FBT purposes when an eligible EV is charged at an employee’s or an individual’s home. The rate of 4.20 cents per kilometre now […]
Estate planning is a complex area which requires careful consideration of tax implications. Many issues that affect the distribution of assets to beneficiaries will need to be considered before an individual dies, to ensure undesirable tax consequences are avoided for both the individual and their potential beneficiaries. These include the timing on the transfer of […]
Since the government’s announced changes to the Stage 3 tax cuts to give lower income earners more benefits, the chorus of voices advocating for changes to other aspects of the tax system, such as negative gearing, has grown steadily stronger. So how much does negative gearing actually cost the nation each year? The answer to […]
Do you earn personal services income (PSI)? While most people may think that it only applies to builders or tradies, the truth is that may also apply to any instance where individuals work and earn income using their personal effort or skills. PSI generally only applies to individuals who receive more than 50% of their […]
As a new calendar year commences, the ATO’s priorities in the self managed super fund (SMSF) sector remain consistent. As in previous years, the greatest area of concern for the ATO continues to be taxpayers illegally accessing their super before meeting a condition of release. While it notes that the vast majority of SMSFs follow […]
Following two prominent High Court decisions which dealt with the distinction between employees and independent contractors, the ATO has sought to provide guidance to businesses in the form of a taxation ruling. The most significant departure from its previous position is that the ATO now considers that various indicators of employment identified in case law, […]
As we move into 2024, the ATO has highlighted three areas of focus for businesses: taking steps to address cyber security and increased protection of personal data, addressing the growth in the collectable debt book – particularly for small businesses – and improving overall tax performance. With increased cyber-crimes, scams and hacks occurring in Australia […]
With the government finally caving into pressure to change the stage 3 income tax cuts despite its previous promises to keep the already legislated measures, new proposed tax rates have been flagged to come into place from 1 July 2024, largely – in comparison to the legislated measures – benefiting those earning less than $45,000. […]
Treasury has released the Independent Evaluation of the JobKeeper Payment Final Report. The report considers both the impact and processes of JobKeeper. The evaluation assesses the effectiveness of JobKeeper in achieving its objectives, and records lessons learned from the design and implementation of JobKeeper, with a view to informing future policy responses. JobKeeper was a […]
Legislation is currently before Federal Parliament that proposes to allow a deduction of $20,000 (up from $1,000) for the instant asset write-off of depreciating assets acquired by small business entities in the period from 1 July 2023. These new rules were previously announced by the Federal Government in its May 2023 Federal Budget. In the […]
While Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 (STP Phase 2) started on 1 January 2022, many digital service providers have a deferral in place to enable them to transition their customers over time. Under STP Phase 2, businesses report certain information directly to the ATO through their payroll software, such as: STP Phase 2 doesn’t change which […]
In response to community feedback and perhaps to negative commentary in the media, the ATO has announced it is pausing its “awareness campaign around tax debts on hold”. It notes that the purpose of the letters it sent was to ensure that taxpayers had full visibility of their existing tax debts. Nonetheless, it will undertake […]
As a part of the government strategy to target investment scams, ASIC and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) – through the newly formed National Anti-Scam Centre – have published an investor alert list which may help consumers to identify whether entities they are considering investing with could be fraudulent, running a scam or […]
In case you might have forgotten, following an announcement in the 2021 Federal Budget, organisations that used to have the option of self-assessing their income tax exemption status will soon be required to submit an annual self-review report (a return) to the ATO. Impacted organisations will include non-charitable entities – those not endorsed by the […]