ATO driven to scrutinise car claims this tax time The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced that it will be closely examining claims for work-related car expenses this tax time as part of a broader focus on work related expenses. Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson said over 3.75 million people made a work-related car expense claim…
5 ways to build a strong customer base from day one The hardest and often the most expensive part of business is finding customers, so it’s important to hang on to them from day one. When you’re new in business, having a plan to build the base who will provide early revenue and become your…
Tax Deductions: the danger zones A recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Tax Deductions created some fairly sensational headlines about what and how deductions are being claimed – $22 billion worth to be exact. In Australia, tax deductions are available for expenses incurred in producing assessable income. These are generally work-related deductions or investment related deductions. And,…
Work-related expenses At $19.7 billion, work-related expenses accounted for nearly two-thirds of total deductions claimed by individuals in 2012-13. The most common claims were for car expenses ($8 billion or around 40%), followed by $7 billion in ‘other expenses’ comprising home office costs and tools, equipment and other assets. Work-related travel expenses counted for $2…
Investment expenses While expenses can be claimed for a wide array of income-producing assets, property is where most of the activity is centred. Investment-related expenses can include management fees for an investment, account-keeping fees, insurance, land tax, depreciation, maintenance expenses, and interest on borrowings used to purchase an income-producing asset. $41.7 billion in rental expenses were claimed in…
The pros and cons of using your super to save for your first home The First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSS) enables first-home buyers to save for a deposit inside their superannuation account, attracting the tax incentives and some of the earnings benefits of super. Home savers can make voluntary concessional contributions (for example by salary…
The pros and cons of contributing proceeds from the sale of your home to super From 1 July 2018, if you are over 65, have held your home for 10 years or more and are looking to sell, you might be able to contribute some of the proceeds of the sale of your home to…
Single Touch Payroll: what employees need to know Single Touch Payroll (STP) – the direct reporting of salary and wages, PAYG withholding and superannuation contribution information to the ATO – comes into effect from 1 July 2018. For employees While the Government and ATO are promoting STP as a way to improve the efficiency of payroll processes…
Single Touch Payroll: what employers need to know Single Touch Payroll (STP) – the direct reporting of salary and wages, PAYG withholding and superannuation contribution information to the ATO – comes into effect from 1 July 2018. For employers Employers with 20 or more employees at 1 April 2018 must use standard business reporting-enabled software from 1…
The other business influencer that can make or break you Did a Kardashian really just wipe USD$1.3bn off the share price of Snapchat? A tweet from Kylie Jenner saying “sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me… ugh this is so sad” is being credited as the catalyst for an…