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Bonus Article – Treasury discussion paper on self-education expenses
Late last year, Treasury released a discussion paper around the announcement in the 2020-21 Federal Budget to allow individuals to claim deductions for education and training expenses they incur where the expenditure is not related to their current employment. This is on top to the FBT exemption already announced for employment-provided retraining and reskilling for...
Natural disasters and help with your tax
Now that we are into bushfire season, and even flooding events have already occurred, it is perhaps timely to be reminded that as well as the more obvious immediate devastation inflicted on people’s property, destructive events such as fires or floods can also mean loss of income for the many affected people. This can come...
Single touch payroll: When your reporting can cease
A business may no longer be required to lodge single touch payroll (STP) reports for a number of reasons. These are if your business no longer has employees, has ceased trading, has changed structure, is not paying employees for the rest of the year, or has paused due to COVID-19. Depending on your business’s situation...
Getting a tax valuation from the ATO
Not every individual situation fits neatly with the tax laws as they stand — sometimes a taxable item’s known value (and therefore the tax that applies to it) may need to be determined. Many tax laws require the taxpayer to determine the market value of something. Common instances include: for individuals – transfers of real...
JobMaker hiring credit: What you need to know
The JobMaker Hiring Credit scheme was passed into law in mid-November 2020. JobMaker was part of the 2020-21 Federal Budget, and will operate until 6 October 2021. It is designed to improve the prospects of young individuals getting employment, by incentivising employers to hire them, following the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the labour market....
Wallace Partners Client Information Newsletter February 2021:
Access our Wallace Partners Client Information Newsletter February 2021 below:
ATO takes aim at ‘you-scratch-my-back’ auditing arrangements
It has long been an accepted standard that the auditor of an SMSF needs to be independent of that fund, and be a third party entity to the SMSF. This requirement is written into the relevant legislation. There have of course been breaches of this requirement, and instances where auditors and/or fund trustees have suffered...
Claiming interest expenses for rental properties
Interest is a common deduction claimed by taxpayers. Generally, interest is seen as being inherently deductible where it is incurred in gaining or producing assessable income. An established factor from court cases is that the deductibility of interest depends on the purpose of and use of borrowing the principal. Interest expenses will not be deductible...
Small business CGT concessions: Goal posts moved on vacant land and active assets
Businesses wanting to claim CGT concessions for active assets may find hope in a recent Full Federal Court decision on a long-contested vacant land case. In 2007, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) ruled that vacant land on which two shipping containers had been placed for storing business records did not qualify as an “active asset”...
Calling time out on your business? Some essentials you’ll need to know
When you first went into business, either buying an established enterprise or starting from scratch, probably the last thing on your mind was the day you would close the door for the last time. But in a way it’s inevitable, whether through the outcomes from COVID-19, retirement, health reasons or, in a more ideal scenario,...