Latest News
Treasury Amends LRBA Requirements For SMSFs Again
As if the new transfer balance cap rules were not complicated enough, the government has passed legislation that complicates it further where an SMSF starts a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA) from 1 July 2017. Treasury was concerned that some trustees would try to get around the $1.6 million transfer balance cap (TBC) through the […]
Look Before You Leap: The Small Business CGT Concessions
The CGT relief concessions available to small businesses can be very generous. However they can also be complex and confusing, so knowing a few of the finer details can go a long way to ensuring your small business can take best advantage of them. It’s never too early to consider an escape plan, so when […]
Tips to getting started on the investment property ladder
Tip 1 – Start by paying off any high interest consumer debts (credit cards, car loans etc). There would be no point earning 5%+ pa on an investment if you are paying15%+ on credit card debt. Set up automatic deductions from your salary to accelerate repayments. Tip 2 – Continue the salary deductions after your […]
Life Policy Bonuses and Tax
When a life insurance policy has been held by a taxpayer for 10 years or longer, reversionary bonuses received on that policy are generally tax-free. For policies held for less than 10 years, stipulated amounts are included in the taxpayer’s assessable income, and a tax offset is available. A bonus is not assessable income if […]
Deducations For Finance on a Rental Property
Interest can be claimed for the cost of funds borrowed to purchase a rental property and to meet maintenance costs or running expenses while the rental property is being let (or is available to be let) under a commercial arrangement to generate assessable income. In these circumstances the interest paid is deductible even if it exceeds […]
Tax Deductions Specifically for SMSFs
One overarching fundamental that SMSF trustees should ideally keep in mind is the sole purpose test – that is, every decision made and action taken is required to be seen as being undertaken for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits for the fund’s members. lf an SMSF trustee incurs an expense in the usual operation […]
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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 […]
Investment Property – Claiming Repairs and Maintenance Expenses
Can you claim the cost of repairs you make before you rent out the property? You cannot claim the cost of repairing defects, damage or deterioration that existed when you obtained the property, even if you carried out these repairs to make the property suitable for renting. This is because these expenses relate to the […]
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 […]
