News

In a recent case before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), amended assessments issued to a taxpayer by the ATO, which were based on the amounts of unexplained deposits to the taxpayer’s bank accounts (in some years, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, in others, millions), have been largely upheld. The total further tax claimed...

Goods imported into Australia – often by consumers using the internet – which cost less than $1,000 are currently GST-free. On May 3 2016, as part of its package of Budget Night announcements, the Federal government proposed that, as of 1 July 2017, this low-value threshold (‘LVT’) of $1,000 will be abolished. The removal of...

Earlier in the year, we reported that an unknown source had leaked 11.5 million documents from the Panamanian law firm of Mossack Fonseca – these are now referred to as the ‘Panama Papers’. Basically, the documents illustrated how many wealthy individuals are hiding their money and income from tax authorities around the world. The Commissioner...

From 1 July 2016, if you invest in a qualifying early stage innovation company (ESIC), you may be eligible for tax incentives. The tax incentives provide eligible investors who purchase new shares in an ESIC with a: • non-refundable carry forward tax offset equal to 20% of the amount paid for their qualifying investments. This...

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...

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 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...

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 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’s stance against phoenix activity has continued with multiple search warrants issued, and many business and residential sites accessed without notice across Victoria and Queensland, as part of a criminal investigation into unpaid superannuation, employee withholding, GST, and income tax. ‘Phoenix activity’ refers to a business that shuts down whilst still owing creditors, employees...