Latest News
Downsizer contribution measure eligibility has been extended
The downsizer contribution concession was introduced to allow older Australians selling an eligible dwelling to make additional contributions into their superannuation fund. Broadly, the downsizer contribution concession allows eligible individuals to make non-deductible contributions of up to $300,000 (or up to $600,000 per couple) from the sale of an eligible dwelling that was used as […]
Changes to deductions this tax time
Taxpayers who are small business owners operating from home, or who use a vehicle for business purposes, need to be aware of some changes when claiming deductions this tax time, including the following. Cents-per-kilometre method – The cents-per-kilometre method for claiming car expenses increased from 72 cents to 78 cents per kilometre in the 2023 […]
Lodging of Taxable payments annual reports
The ATO reminds taxpayers that it is now time for them to check if their business needs to lodge a Taxable payments annual report (‘TPAR’) for payments made to contractors providing the following services: (a) building and construction; (b) cleaning; (c) courier and road freight; (d) information technology; and (e) security, investigation or surveillance. TPARs […]
Claiming GST credits for employee expense reimbursements
Employers may be entitled to claim GST input tax credits for payments they have made to reimburse employees for expenses that are directly related to their business activities. A ‘reimbursement’ is provided when a taxpayer pays their employee the amount, or part of the amount, of a particular work-related purchase they make. Employers are not […]
Masters course fees not deductible as self-education expenses
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (‘AAT’) has held that tuition fees for a public policy Masters course were not deductible, on the basis that the course did not relate to the taxpayer’s work as a music teacher. The taxpayer was a qualified teacher who specialised in teaching music. He had commenced a Masters Course at the […]
Proportional indexation of transfer balance caps from 1 July 2023
The ATO reminds taxpayers that, on 1 July 2023, the general transfer balance cap will be indexed. Individuals will have a personal transfer balance cap between $1.6 and $1.9 million, based on the highest ever balance of their transfer balance account between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2023. While indexation will occur on 1 […]
What’s New For Taxpayers
Before you complete your tax return for 2015, there are some changes you should be aware of in case they affect you. Mature age worker tax offset You can no longer claim the Mature age worker tax offset (MAWTO) in your tax return. Previously, to be eligible for the offset you needed to be an […]
Travel between home and work and between workplaces
While trips between home and work are generally considered private travel, you can claim deductions in some circumstances, as well as for some travel between two workplaces. If your travel was partly private and partly for work, you can only claim for the part related to your work. What you can claim You can […]
Gifts and donations
You can only claim a tax deduction for gifts or donations to organisations that have the status of deductible gift recipients (DGRs). Deductions for gifts are claimed by the person that makes the gift (the donor). For you to claim a tax deduction for a gift, it must meet four conditions: The gift […]
Capital gains tax checklist
The following questions will help you to identify possible capital gains tax (CGT) obligations. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, CGT may apply. Some questions are intended to highlight the possibility of a capital gain or loss arising in the current year, others to alert you to the possibility of a […]
Tax on Super Contributions
The tax you pay on your super contributions generally depends on whether the contributions were made before or after you paid income tax, you exceed the super contributions cap or you are a very high-income earner. Before-tax super contributions The super contributions you make before tax (concessional) are taxed at 15%. Types of before-tax contributions […]
Zone Tax Offset – exclude ‘fly-in-fly-out’
In the 2015–16 Federal Budget, the government announced that it will exclude ‘fly-in-fly-out’ and ‘drive-in-drive-out’ (FIFO) workers from the Zone Tax Offset where their normal residence is not within a ‘zone’. Currently, to be eligible for the Zone Tax Offset, a taxpayer must reside or work in a specified remote area for more than 183 […]