Following the election of the new Labor federal Government on 21 May, there are a number of tax and superannuation proposals that they have announced or existing measures they have committed to that may impact you and your business moving forward. Some of course are subject to the passage of enabling legislation through the new...

One of the key features of the recent federal budget handed down by the government was a proposal for extra deductions for employers for expenditure incurred in training their staff. Let’s take a closer look. Proposal Small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million will be able to deduct an additional 20%...

Quite a number of employers now have in place a human resources (HR) manual. HR manuals document the workplace policies and procedures that will be applied to all employees inside and to a lesser extent outside the workplace. Manuals may broach the following non-exhaustive list of issues: Complaint processes Dress standards Leave (particularly around issues...

Are you aware of the personal property securities register? What is it? The personal property securities register (more commonly known as the PPSR) is an official government register. It’s effectively a public noticeboard of security interests in personal property (see below) that is managed by the Registrar of Personal Property Securities. Security interests Security interests...

A common question facing businesses is how to finance and account for the acquisition of a motor vehicle. There are numerous ways that can be used, with each having unique taxation treatment. Outright purchase The advantage of purchasing a vehicle outright, as opposed to financing the acquisition of the vehicle, is that there will be...

For the many business owners who operate their affairs through discretionary trusts, there have been further developments on the ATO’s planned crackdown on certain distributions. Backstory To recap, the ATO in February updated its guidance around trust distributions made to adult children, corporate beneficiaries and entities that are carrying losses. Depending on the structure of...

Superannuation is an investment vehicle specifically designed to help you save for retirement – this is one of the key reasons why you should take an interest in your superannuation.  Whether you’re employed, self-employed or even nearing retirement, it’s never too late to build up your superannuation to boost your retirement savings. Concessional tax environment...

Are you a small business owner selling your business or disposing of an active business asset? If so, did you know you might be able to disregard some or all of any capital gain by putting the proceeds into superannuation? Lifetime CGT cap If you are a small business owner and want to sell your...

Uber and other ride-sourcing facilitators have become increasingly popular over recent years. From a driver’s standpoint, there are a number of tax issues potentially in play. See the following article for the tax implications from a drivers perspective. Income Income from a driver’s ride-sourcing activities must be declared in their tax return irrespective of the...

The ATO has just updated its guidance around trust distributions made to adult children, corporate beneficiaries and entities that are carrying losses. Depending on the structure of these arrangements, there is a potential that the ATO may take an unfavourable view on what were previously understood to be legitimate arrangements. Background For many reasons, including...