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, […]
Changing Details in Your Tax Return After It’s Lodged
Say for example that we have already lodged your 2017-18 tax return and forwarded your notice of assessment to you saying that everything is as discussed, but you then realise that something has been left out of your return, or you accidentally included an extra deduction or doubled one up. You ask yourself – Can […]
Very pleasant and helpful
From the outset, of phoning to make an appointment to get our returns completed, I spoke to a very pleasant and helpful lady. She was able to confirm an appointment convenient to us all without too much of a time delay to get to see our agent. Client name withheld – Malaga
We have been using Taxwise for 3 years now
We have been using Taxwise for 3 years now. We love the ease of having someone come to our house to assist with our return each year. David who assists us each year has a wealth of knowledge and definitely makes tax time so much easier and stress free. We recommended Taxwise to our parents […]
Get a Clear View With a Private Tax Ruling
There have been cases where people believe the idle talk about being able to coerce a better tax outcome simply by applying for a private ruling from the ATO. But there are some sober facts that you may need to keep in mind if you have thought of it yourself. Any taxpayer can apply for […]
Crowdfunding and Taxes
Not so many years ago, the concept of raising funds via crowdfunding would more likely be seen as a way to fund community-based, local-issue or help-your-neighbour initiatives. But increasingly these days crowdfunding is viewed as a viable source of seed capital and is no longer regarded as the shy little sister of venture capitalism. So […]
Apportioning GST Annually For Business And Private Purchases
The general case regarding GST credits is that business owners can claim input tax credits relating to eligible business expenses when you lodge your business activity statement (BAS), which may be monthly or quarterly. However it is not unusual for business owners to occasionally make purchases that contain a private use component. Where expenses are […]