Latest News
Input Tax Credits Denied Due To Lodging BASs Late
The Administrative Appeal Tribunal (‘AAT’) has held that a taxpayer could not claim $91,239 of input tax credits (‘ITCs’) at least partly because it lodged the relevant BASs more than 4 years too late. Specifically, the GST Act operates such that, if an extension of time to lodge a BAS has not been granted prior […]
ATO’s record-keeping tips
The ATO has reminded taxpayers that they should understand the record-keeping requirements for their business and keep accurate and complete records as they occur, as this should help them avoid penalties that may apply and reduce the possibility of the ATO denying their expense claims. The following are some of the ATO’s top tips to […]
ATO warning to SMSFs: “Paying the price for non-compliance”
There are various courses of action available to the ATO when trustees of self-managed super funds (‘SMSFs’) have not complied with the super laws, including applying administrative penalties. A number of factors determine the amount of the administrative penalty, including: the type of contravention; when it occurred; and the number of penalty units that apply. […]
Why are credits and refunds being offset?
The ATO has reached out to small businesses who may have recently received a letter advising that they have a debt on hold and any credits or refunds would be offset against this debt. As a result, such a small business may find that their refund or credit is less than expected. Editor: The ATO […]
Optus data breach
The ATO is aware of the recent Optus data breach and that people who have been affected might be concerned about their personal data, and is assuring people that ATO systems have not been affected by the Optus data breach. The ATO recommends that anyone who thinks they have been affected by the Optus data […]
Check that holiday employees get the right super
The ATO is reminding employers that the holiday season is fast approaching, and that their holiday casuals may now be eligible for super. From 1 July 2022, employers need to pay super for employees at a rate of 10.5%, regardless of how much they are paid, because the $450-per-month threshold for super guarantee (‘SG’) eligibility […]
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, […]
Check GST credit claims before lodging BASs
Taxpayers who are registered for GST can get GST credit claims (or ‘input tax credits’) for the GST included in the price of goods and services they buy for their business. However, if they buy something for both business and private use, they need to apportion their GST credit to only claim the business use. […]
Government payments programs
The ATO is reminding taxpayers that receive government payments for delivering services under a Commonwealth program, such as healthcare, disability support or child care, that they have an obligation to: keep accurate records; and report any such income they receive in their tax return. The ATO recently advised that it would be contacting taxpayers and […]
Contractors omitting income
Through data matching, the ATO is seeing some contractors incorrectly reporting or contractors omitting income. Contractors need to report all their income in their tax return, including payments made by businesses for their contracting work. Note that, as part of the taxable payments reporting system (‘TPRS’), certain businesses must lodge a ‘Taxable payments annual report’ […]
Businesses using cash to dodge obligations
The ATO is ‘cracking down’ on businesses that use cash to dodge obligations on their tax, employer and business. Businesses that do this may: – fail to report all sales transactions and fail to issue receipts; – avoid paying GST, income tax, PAYG withholding, super guarantee, insurance and work cover protection; – report their income […]
$20,000 instant asset write-off extended
Editor: The Government recently passed legislation to extend the $20,000 instant asset write-off for small businesses by 12 months to 30 June 2026. Taxpayers should note that if their business has an aggregated annual turnover of less than $10 million, they may be able touse the instant asset write-off (‘IAWO’) to immediately deduct the business […]