The ATO says that it recognises that most trusts are used appropriately and for legitimate purposes. It says it will continue to help those who make genuine mistakes or are uncertain about how the law applies to their circumstances. But even so, the ATO has a number of “trust risk rules” in place to identify...

Operators in some Australian industries as well as select government entities are required by the ATO to lodge a taxable payments annual report (TPAR). The information provided in these reports provides the ATO with the information that allows it to identify contractors who have: not included all their income on their tax return not lodged...

If you are an employer, you may appreciate knowing what the ATO is looking out for, and the fringe benefits you’re expected to report, so you can avoid attracting its attention or making costly mistakes. In this year’s updated ATO list for taxpayers, titled “What attracts our attention”, there are six items that specifically relate...

One generally forgotten tax deduction is for subscription or membership fees, which affects many of us as professionals, business or trades people will be members of an association.  The tax law allows a deduction for membership of a trade, business or professional association, and there is no requirement that the taxpayer gain income from that...

In last month’s article about working from home, mention was made of the small business instant asset write-off. However this was written before the Federal Budget, which made changes to the write-off. The small business instant asset write-off threshold has now been increased to $30,000. It has also been extended to cover medium sized businesses...

Being a director of a company, as with any elevation of status, is a role that also brings with it added responsibilities and duties. Company directors need to keep in mind that the Corporations Act holds directors personally liable for many of the legal and financial obligations expected from a company. These include, but are...

Tax invoices are an essential element of Australia’s taxation system, and serve both to collect taxation revenue related to the goods and services on which GST is levied as well as record the credits that are claimable by eligible businesses. A business registered for GST will generally be required to hold a tax invoice for...

One of the recognised keys to business success is having knowledgeable, efficient and well-trained staff. But it is not always possible (or is indeed rare) to have potential staff walk in off the street who are a 100% perfect fit. People employed at any business will naturally benefit, to a lesser or greater degree, from...

If you produce assessable income at home, or some of it, and you incur expenses from using that home as your “office” or “workshop”, the ATO will generally allow that a taxpayer could be in a position to be able to claim some expenses and make some deductions. Otherwise the ATO takes the view that...

read the PDF version Here: The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s first budget has lots of goodies with few “baddies”. This was to be expected with the next federal election only weeks away and the Coalition Government trying to make up ground in the polls. The Treasurer’s “wow” factor was a return to a budget surplus of $7.1...