1 AFFILIATES Remember your spouse and children’s birthdays…and that they are no longer automatically your affiliates. Whether a person is an “affiliate” is relevant in numerous small business CGT concession contexts, including when applying the maximum net asset value, small business and active asset tests. Therefore, it is important to remember that the definition of affiliate...

From 1 April 2021, the ATO’s independent review service has been made permanently available for eligible small businesses with a turnover less than $10 million. The service provides an additional option to achieve early and fair resolution of an audit dispute. The service was locked in after a successful pilot period and consultation with the business community....

Loans for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are available until 31 December 2021 under the Federal Government’s SME Recovery Loan Scheme. The scheme is designed to support the economic recovery, and to provide continued assistance, to firms that received JobKeeper and also to firms that are eligible flood-affected businesses. Treasury says the scheme aims to...

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has compiled its COVID-19 complaint data from 3 March 2020 to 28 February 2021, which has revealed some trends. Among COVID-associated complaints, travel insurance was the most complained about product type, with 3,516 complaints across a year of the pandemic, though the rate fell sharply as travel reduced.  ...

The ATO has stated thateligible businesses that received JobKeeper payments do not need to repay those amounts. However, some businesses may choose to voluntarily repay an amount. This amount can be equivalent to some or all the JobKeeper payments received. The ATO says that voluntary repayments do not reduce the amount of JobKeeper a business...

The Australian Government has made changes to the ATO’s insolvency framework to help more small businesses restructure and survive the economic impact of COVID-19. The insolvency system is facing a number of challenges: An increase in the number of businesses in financial distress because of COVID-19. A “one-size-fits-all” system, which imposes the same duties and...

ASIC has announced that the Federal Government has introduced new laws to help combat illegal phoenix activity. From 18 February 2021, a company director will not be able to backdate their resignation more than 28 days or resign if it means the company would be left without a director. Backdating resignations was a common tactic...

The ATO knows that many business owners naturally help themselves to their trading stock and use it for their own purposes. This common practice can occur in businesses such as butchers, bakers, corner stores, cafes and more. It regularly issues guidance for business owners on the value it expects will be allocated to goods taken...

The Director Identification Number (DIN) regime may have been lost in many business owners’ peripheral vision, or even dropped off the radar completely, as it has been on the horizon for some time. But it is worth keeping in mind the ramifications of the measure, as the details could become important sooner than many realise,...

The ATO has produced a “Cash Flow Coaching Kit”, which is a free resource and designed as a value-add advisory tool for small business owners. It does not replace any existing accounting or financial tools, although it can be used to complement software accounting packages. With its tailored coaching conversations about cash flow management, the...