Latest News
ATO Assets Crackdown – Lifestyle Assets Data Matching Program
The ATO has released details of their “Lifestyle assets 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years data matching program protocol”. They will obtain information on insurance policies for certain classes of assets, including marine vessels, enthusiast motor vehicles, thoroughbred races horse, fine art and aircraft to improve their profiling of taxpayers and provide a more comprehensive view […]
False Laundry Claims ATO Targets This Tax Time
The ATO will target false clothing and laundry work-related expense claims this Tax Time. In 2018, around six million people claimed work-related clothing and laundry expenses totalling nearly $1.5 billion. Assistant Commissioner Karen Foat said although many Australians can claim clothing and laundry expenses, it’s unlikely that half of all taxpayers are required to wear […]
Making a Division 293 Election
The ATO is reminding taxpayers and tax practitioners that the process to release money from super fund accounts to pay additional tax on concessional contributions (referred to as ‘Division 293’) changed on 1 July 2018. Since then, practitioners or their clients must send the Division 293 election form to the ATO, not to the super […]
Uber Drivers Not Employees
The Fair Work Ombudsman has completed its investigation relating to Uber Australia Pty Ltd and its engagement of drivers, concluding that the relationship between Uber Australia and the drivers is not an employment relationship. The investigation found that Uber drivers are not subject to any formal or operational obligation to perform work. Instead, Uber drivers […]
Cash In Hand Payments To Workers No Longer Tax Deductible
The ATO has reminded employers that any cash in hand payments made to workers from 1 July 2019 will not be tax deductible. ‘Cash in hand’ refers to cash payments to employees that do not comply with pay as you go (‘PAYG’) withholding obligations. Payments made to contractors where the contractor does not provide an […]
New Rules for Immediate Write-Offs
Small business entity (‘SBE’) taxpayers who choose to depreciate their assets under the simplified depreciation rules are entitled to an immediate deduction with respect to low-cost assets in the year they are first used or installed ready for use for a taxable purpose. Thanks to recent changes, SBE taxpayers may be entitled to an immediate […]
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 […]