Latest News
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, […]
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 […]
Employers Need To Prepare For Changes Under Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 Expansion
Single Touch Payroll (‘STP’) reporting has been expanded. This expansion, known as ‘STP Phase 2’, means that employers will need to start reporting extra information to the ATO each time they run their payroll. Some digital service providers (‘DSPs’) needed more time to update their products and applied for deferrals, which cover their customers – […]
High Court Rejects Attempt To Disclaim Interest In Trust Distribution
The High Court has rejected a taxpayer’s attempt to disclaim an interest in trust income that arose as a result of a default beneficiary clause being triggered. Facts The taxpayer, Ms Natalie Carter, was one of five default beneficiaries of the Whitby Trust, a discretionary trust. For the 2014 income year the trustee had failed […]
Disclosure Of Business Tax Debts
The ATO is in the process of writing to taxpayers that may be eligible to have their tax debts disclosed to credit reporting bureaus (‘CRBs’). The ATO can potentially report outstanding tax debts to a CRB where the following criteria are satisfied: The taxpayer has an Australian business number and is not an excluded entity; […]
No Reduction In The Private Health Insurance Rebate As Of 1 April 2022
An event that we have become accustomed to every 1 April, is that the amount of the Private Health Insurance (‘PHI’) rebate decreases. The Australian Government rebate on PHI is annually indexed on 1 April by a Rebate Adjustment Factor (‘RAF’) representing the difference between the Consumer Price Index and the industry weighted average increase […]
Penalties For Overdue Taxable Payments Annual Report
The Taxable payments annual report (‘TPAR’) must be lodged by 28 August each year. Taxpayers who operate in certain industries and that make payments to contractors may need to report these payments in a TPAR. Affected industries where taxpayers may have an obligation to lodge a TPAR are: Cleaning services; Building and construction services; Road […]
Re-Contribution Of COVID-19 Early Release Super Amounts
Individuals can now re-contribute amounts they withdrew under the COVID-19 early release of super program without the re-contribution counting towards their non-concessional contributions cap. These contributions can be made between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2030. Individuals can make COVID-19 re-contribution amounts to any fund of their choice where the funds’ rules allow. COVID-19 […]