Collectables Capital gains tax does not just apply to “big ticket” items such as real estate, farms and shareholdings. It also applies to a special class of assets known as “personal use assets” and, in particular, those personal use assets known as “collectibles”. “Collectables” are specifically defined under the tax law to mean the following...

From bushfire relief groups, sporting clubs, environmental groups, charity associations and many more, volunteers are an indispensable workforce and support network for many organisations. For most, if not all, having volunteers ready to lend a hand is pivotal in them being able to function or survive. Given that there are many hundreds of volunteers propping...

Unfortunately our financial institutions have not always acted as ethically as we consumers would like. Whether you’ve received bad advice or paid for advice you didn’t receive at all, our supervisory and regulatory bodies have sought not only to improve the system so it won’t happen again, but also to ensure that if you are...

There are many considerations when it comes to selling a family holiday home such as pricing, timing, marketing, and even whether to actually sell that special place that may have been full of wonderful family memories. But if you do decide to sell, the capital gains tax (CGT) consequences, and any special rules that may...

Wondering if your beneficiaries will pay tax on your superannuation death benefits? The answer is it depends on a number of important factors. Most people will have heard of Benjamin Franklin’s quote “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”. He raises a valid point as the tax office will be ready to...

Whilst the ATO went out of its way to assist businesses doing it tough during the COVID lockdowns, a more robust approach to collecting outstanding tax debts now seems to be the order of the day. Other people’s money A major part of the tax debts of many businesses represents the temporary withholding of other...

The CGT exemption for a person’s home is only available in respect of one home owned at any given time. In other words, you can’t get two main residence exemptions applying to two different homes at the same time. However, there is one exception to this rule – and that exception applies where a person...

Now and then, taxpayers may find themselves in a situation where they simply have no records to back up a tax claim. There can be many reasons for this, such as losing documents (either paper or electronic) when moving home, or technology failures that end up with the same result (or worse, destroyed records). And...

Recent media reports suggest the ATO may have concerns that some tradies could be taking liberties with the FBT exemption available for utes and panel vans where private use is claimed to be minimal. Utes have been selling like hotcakes for some time and are now the biggest selling new cars on the Australian market....

The most cost-efficient benefit an employer can give an employee is one that is both deductible for income tax purposes and exempt from Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). One such type of benefit is the ‘work-related item’ FBT exemption. Like all concessions, there are some requirements that must be met to take advantage of it. What...