Latest News
Single Touch Payroll Exemption Extended For WPN Holders
The ATO has extended the Single Touch Payroll (‘STP’) reporting exemption available to entities that have a withholding payer number (‘WPN’). As a result of this extension, certain entities that have a WPN (but not an ABN) will not be required to report under STP for the 2021‑22 and 2022-23 financial years. This continues the […]
Higher PAYG Withholding Rates Continue to Apply To Backpackers
As we recently communicated, the High Court has held that the ‘working holiday maker tax’ (also known as the ‘backpackers’ tax’) did not apply to a taxpayer on a working holiday visa from the United Kingdom who was also an Australian tax resident. This was due to the application of the Double Tax Agreement between […]
COVID-19 Vaccination Incentives And Rewards
The ATO has reminded employers to consider their tax and super obligations when employees are provided with incentives or rewards for getting their COVID-19 vaccination. When employees are provided a cash payment, including paid leave for employees to get their COVID-19 vaccination (or additional paid leave to recover from any vaccination side effects), employers should […]
Government Extends SME Recovery Loan Scheme To 30 June 2022
The Government has recently extended the SME Recovery Loan Scheme by a further six months (to 30 June 2022) to support SMEs adversely economically affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Under the Scheme, eligible businesses can obtain loans through participating bank and non-bank lenders with the backing of a government loan guarantee. Around 80,000 loans worth […]
Data-Matching Program: Services Australia Benefits And Entitlements
| | | The ATO has advised it will acquire Medicare Exemption Statement (‘MES’) data relating to approximately 100,000 individuals from Services Australia for the 2021 financial year through to the 2023 financial year inclusively, and compare it with claims made by taxpayers on their tax returns.
Backpacker Tax May Not Apply To Some Backpackers
The High Court has held that the ‘working holiday maker tax’ (also known as the ‘backpackers tax’) did not apply to a taxpayer on a working holiday visa from the United Kingdom who was also an Australian tax resident, due to the application of the Double Tax Agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom. The […]
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 […]