Latest News
Expenses incurred to obtain employment were non-deductible
The Administrative Review Tribunal (‘ART’) recently held that medical expenses incurred by a taxpayer to obtain (or regain) employment were not deductible as they were not incurred in gaining or producing his assessable income. The taxpayer was an airplane pilot. In July 2021, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority advised the taxpayer of the steps that […]
Taxable payments annual report lodgment reminder
Businesses that pay contractors for ‘Taxable payments reporting system services’ may need to lodge a ‘Taxable payments annual report’ (‘TPAR’) by 28 August each year. Editor: This includes businesses paying contractors in the building and construction, cleaning and IT industries (among others). The ATO will apply penalties to businesses that have not lodged their TPAR […]
Hybrid vehicles and FBT changes
Employers that provide plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (‘PHEVs’) to employees (or associates) for personal use should remember the following. Home-charging expenses — new shortcut method The ATO has updated its guidelines to include a new method to make it easier to calculate PHEV electricity costs when a vehicle is charged at an employee’s home. To […]
When a hobby becomes a business
Taxpayers may not think they are running a business from their hobby or ‘side hustle’ activities. However, if they start to earn money from doing these activities regularly, they may be carrying on a business without realising it. Generally, carrying on a business involves ongoing and repeated activities with the intention of making a profit. […]
Know when a new logbook is required
Editor: Keeping a car logbook may be required to accurately calculate the business-use percentage of vehicle expenses (e.g., fuel, registration, insurance and depreciation) for tax deductions. Taxpayers can keep the same logbook for their car for five years, but there are circumstances where they may need a new one during that period. Relying on a […]
Work-related expense claims rejected by Administrative Review Tribunal (‘ART’)
The Administrative Review Tribunal (‘ART’) recently disallowed a taxpayer’s claims for many different types of work-related expenses. The taxpayer was employed full-time as an engineer, working from home two days a week. For the 2023 income year, he claimed deductions totalling over $61,000, in relation to (among other things) car expenses, travel expenses, clothing expenses, […]
ATO’s Small Business Focus For 2022 Income Year
The ATO announced that it would be focussing on the following matters for small business tax returns for the 2021/22 year: Deductions that are private in nature and not related to business income, as well as overclaiming of business expenses (especially for taxpayers running a home-based business). Omission of business income (e.g., income from the […]
ATO Focus This Tax Time
The ATO has announced four key areas that it will be focusing on for Tax Time 2022: Record-keeping. Work-related expenses. Rental property income and deductions. Capital gains from crypto assets, property, and shares. Before claiming income tax deductions for their expenses, taxpayers must ensure: they spent the money themselves and were not reimbursed; if an […]
Avoid Double Dipping On Your Tax Deductions
Taxpayers are reminded not to make the mistake of ‘double dipping’ on tax deductions (that is, claiming expenses twice) in their tax return this year. Some of the ‘double dipping’ mistakes commonly made relate to the following deductions: Working From Home Expenses A common mistake involves using the ‘shortcut method’ to claim working from home […]
Get Ready For Super Changes From 1 July 2022
As the new financial year approaches, employers need to be aware of two important super changes. From 1 July 2022, employees can be eligible for super guarantee (‘SG’), regardless of how much they earn, because the $450 per month eligibility threshold for when SG is paid has been removed. Employers only need to pay super […]
ATO To Start Clearing Backlog Of ENCC Release Authorities
Due to “unavoidable delays caused by improvements to” its systems, the ATO will start issuing requests to release excess contributions and other charges for individuals who did not make an election on the tax treatment of their excess non-concessional contributions (‘ENCC’) for prior financial years. This may result in a higher than normal number of […]
ATO Warns About GST Fraud
Taxpayers are being warned to be on the lookout for dodgy online ads, often on social media platforms, promising easy GST refunds. The ATO recently issued a media release about large-scale GST fraud attempts exceeding $850 million, that involve customers setting up an ABN without operating a business, and then submitting fictitious BAS statements to […]