The pain of having to fork out for insurance premiums can be somewhat justified when the event you are insuring against comes to fruition. It’s probably safe to say that most people would rather not make a claim. However, there can be some pre-emptive relief from the pain of these payments through taking account of...

It is not unusual for a person to let out a big whoop of joy when they receive their tax refund but bear in mind – the refund is tax you have overpaid, not the lottery. To ensure you make the most of money that you have worked hard for, a wealth management expert has...

Small businesses to face “triple whammy” of new costs come July 1, 2013 The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has warned small businesses to ready themselves for an onslaught of new costs come July 1, 2013, after the Fair Work Commission increased award wages by 2.6% per week. ACCI chief executive Peter Anderson...

The current financial year is almost at an end, but there are still many strategies you may be able to put into play to ensure you pay not one cent more tax than is necessary for the 2012-13 year. Of course, the best tax tactics are adopted in July, not June (that is, as early...

The buzz generated by the Federal Budget may have come and gone, but it is important to remember that there are several changes to the tax laws that will affect your business’s 2012-13 income tax return, as well as have an impact on subsequent years. Increase to the compulsory super guarantee rate from 9% to...

Did you know that an immediate deduction for depreciable assets costing $300 or less is available to certain taxpayers? This deduction most commonly applies to individual taxpayers who are earning non-business income, such as salary and wage earners as well as investors. To be entitled to the immediate deduction, four eligibility tests must be fulfilled...

The goods and services tax (GST) costs businesses money in two ways. The most obvious is the tax levied on a business’s goods and services, but there is a second, more subtle, cost — the professional fees, time and other administrative costs associated with GST. Most businesses focus on reducing the costs of complying with...

While it might be unsavoury and tough to think about, it is inevitable that you will leave your business someday. Whether you decide to sell up, retire or leave due to health reasons, it is important that you prepare yourself for that eventuality. A recent nationwide survey revealed that more than 40% of family businesses...

Do-it-yourself superannuation, in one form or another, has been around for about 30 years. But it has only been over the last few years that these smaller super funds (or as they are more commonly called, self-managed superannuation funds, or SMSFs) have made an indelible mark on Australia’s retirement savings landscape. The SMSF sector now...

ATO warns business: Don’t claim loss carry-back…yet Business owners are being warned that a back-log of bills sitting in parliamentary in-trays means that one of the government’s long-promised business tax breaks, the $700 million loss carry-back legislation, will most likely not be passed and made available before the looming tax time. Implementation of the measure...