Individuals are generally entitled to a 50% discount on a capital gain where a CGT asset (such as a property) is disposed, provided that the asset is held for at least 12 months. However a recent change has altered the tax treatment for some taxpayers. By way of background, foreign and temporary residents are required...

Establishing an SMSF is a clear sign that you know the importance of planning for the future. But one other central consideration is to make sure you also plan for the time beyond your own lifetime. One misconception many people have is that their normal “last will and testament” can be relied upon to distribute...

Small business owners may be eligible for various concessional treatments for transactions that involve capital gains tax (CGT). These concessions can reduce, defer or at times even eliminate tax payable from capital gains. Applying these concessions can often trip up small business taxpayers. The Tax Office recently reported that its compliance work had revealed some...

The consolidated dependant tax offset was introduced in the 2012-13 federal budget in May, and combines and consolidates eight of the existing dependency tax offsets into one single non-refundable tax offset for taxpayers who contribute to the maintenance of someone who is genuinely unable to work because of invalidity or care obligations. The offsets that...

Self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) are typically established to fund the retirement of its members, meaning accessing benefits is generally only allowed when a member reaches their “preservation age” and meets one of the specified conditions of release. What is my preservation age? Preservation age depends on when a person was born (see following table).  ...

A recent global report revealed that Australians are the most fearful people in the world when it comes to identity theft and fraud – an unsurprising statistic considering the sheer number of scams that seem to be circulating. Protect yourself and your business by being aware of the common scams targeting small businesses. False billing...

Every year in the Bavarian city of Munich, the Oktoberfest famously celebrates beer in all its forms. Over the 16-day event, visitors manage to consume around 7.6 million litres of the amber fluid, which sold at a recent festival for an inflated asking price of €9 (around $13.50) per litre, which is the capacity of...

The average retail costs of unleaded petrol (expressed as cents per litre) for the 2012-13 income year are provided below. Taxpayers can use these figures to calculate the fuel deduction where receipts have not been kept to substantiate a claim, provided a valid logbook is kept and the other requirements under the law are met. As...

The cost of living for retirees has increased slightly in the June quarter, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA)’s “Retirement Standard” for June has found. Released on August 16, the quarterly standard benchmarks the annual budget needed by Australian individuals and couples to fund either a comfortable* or modest** standard of living in...

The ATO has small businesses, trusts, wealthy individuals and self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) firmly in its sights this year as it outlined which high-risk businesses and individuals it will focus on in its 2013-14 compliance crackdown. Below are the key scrutiny areas you should know about. Payment of superannuation guarantee Given the recent increase in...