Update: Tax on super balances above $3m In a very quick turnaround from announcement to draft legislation, Treasury has released the exposure draft legislation for consultation to enact the Government’s intention to impose a 30% tax on future superannuation fund earnings where the member’s total superannuation balance is above $3m. The draft legislation confirms the [...]

Company money: A guide for owners When you start up a business, inevitably, it consumes not just a lot of time but a lot of cash and much of this is money you have already paid tax on. So, it only seems fair that when the business is up and running the business can pay [...]

What sharing platforms are sharing with the ATO From 1 July 2023, a new reporting regime will require platforms that enable taxi services including ride sourcing, and short-term accommodation to report their transactions to the ATO each year. From 1 July 2024, the regime will expand to include all other platforms. While the legislative instrument [...]

What will the ATO be asking about your holiday home? Taxpayers claiming deductions on holiday homes are in the ATO’s sights. The ATO is more than a little concerned that people with holiday homes are claiming more deductions than they should and have published the starting questions they will be asking to scrutinise claims: How [...]

The ‘super’ wars A consultation paper released by Treasury has sparked a national debate about the role, purpose and access to superannuation ahead of the 2023-24 Federal Budget. What is the purpose of superannuation? At first glance, the consultation released by Treasury in February titled Legislating the objective of Superannuation sounds innocuous enough. The consultation [...]

Future earnings for super balances above $3m taxed at 30% from 2025-26 The Government has announced that from 2025‑26, the 15% concessional tax rate applied to future earnings for superannuation balances above $3 million will increase to 30%. The concessional tax rate on earnings from superannuation in the accumulation phase will remain at 15% up [...]

What’s the deal with working from home? The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has updated its approach to how you claim expenses for working from home. The ATO has ‘refreshed’ the way you can claim deductions for the costs you incur when you work from home. From 1 July 2022 onwards, you can choose either to [...]

The ATO’s final position on risky trust distributions The ATO has released its final position on how it will apply some integrity rules dealing with trust distributions - changing the goal posts for trusts distributing to adult children, corporate beneficiaries, and entities with losses. As a result, many family groups will pay higher taxes because [...]

Is ‘downsizing’ worth it? From 1 January 2023, those 55 and over can make a ‘downsizer’ contribution to superannuation. Downsizer contributions are an excellent way to get money into superannuation quickly. And now that the age limit has reduced to 55 from 60, more people have an opportunity to use this strategy if it suits [...]

Full throttle in 2023 In a volatile market, keeping to a strategy, or let’s face it creating one, can be tough. The downside of not taking time out for your strategy is that there is a tendency to keep a short-term focus at an operational level to try and pick quick wins to generate financial [...]