News

The ATO has also confirmed that the cost to a business taxpayer of a yearly airport lounge membership (e.g., Qantas Club, Virgin Lounge) that will be used by its employees is ordinarily deductible, and should not give rise to any FBT liability for the employer (even if the majority of (or indeed only) use of...

The ATO has confirmed that a taxpayer carrying on business is generally entitled to a deduction for expenses incurred on a gift made to a former or current client, if the gift is characterised as being made for the purpose of producing future assessable income. However, the expense may not always be deductible (e.g., if...

The ATO has launched a new project called ‘Super Scheme Smart’, an initiative aimed at educating individuals about the potential pitfalls of ‘retirement planning schemes’, to keep them safe from risking their retirement nest egg. According to the ATO, individuals most at risk are those approaching retirement, including anyone aged 50 or over, looking to...

Foreign persons acquiring residential property in NSW on or after 21 June 2016 are liable to pay a 4% surcharge duty in addition to the usual duty payable on the purchase. A land tax surcharge of 0.75% will also apply to foreign persons owning residential property in NSW from 31 December 2016 for the 2017...

The biggest change is the complete scrapping of the controversial $500,000 Lifetime Cap on non-concessional amounts. The government has been under intense pressure since the lifetime cap was announced, due to the harsh and retrospective nature of potentially including all contributions from 1 July 2007. It angered many voters and politicians on both sides of...

The ATO has released the latest benchmarks for small business based on the data from 2014 income tax returns and business activity statements, covering over 1.3 million small businesses. Assistant Commissioner Matthew Bambrick said that, if a small business is inside the benchmark range for their industry and the ATO hasn’t received any extra information...

The ATO is concerned that those earning money from the ‘sharing economy’ may not realise they have to declare these amounts on their tax return. In the sharing economy, buyers and sellers are connected through a facilitator who usually operates an app or website. Assistant Commissioner Graham Whyte said: “If you earn money from doing...

The ATO is also reminding Australians to protect themselves against identify theft this tax time.  Highly organised crime networks use a range of methods to steal personal information in order to commit refund fraud. The ATO recommends following a few easy steps for taxpayers to protect themselves against identity theft:     Put a padlock...

The ATO is reminding Australians to be on the lookout for tax-related scams during tax time, as scammers are particularly active because of the large number of people lodging their tax returns. Assistant Commissioner Graham Whyte said that, while most people were able to identify scams, it is important to remain alert during tax time....

Now that the government has been re-elected, it seems they are committed to proceeding with their superannuation policy, including the controversial measure to impose a ‘lifetime cap’ of $500,000 on the amount of non-concessional (i.e., undeducted) contributions that can be made into superannuation (calculated from all contributions made since 1 July 2007). The Treasurer Scott...