Legislation in limbo A budget, an election and the legislation that hasn’t made it through. The February 2019 Parliamentary sitting days were the last opportunity before the Federal Budget for the Government to introduce or push through new legislation. Next month, on 2 April, Parliament reconvenes for the Federal Budget and it’s likely that an [...]
You’ve been scammed, hacked or breached! Another year, another scam. While data driven crime is more sophisticated and difficult to address than ever, human error and judgement remains one of the major problems. The latest data breach report from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is surprising for the simplicity of the problems [...]
What would happen if…. Life does not always go to plan. While we logically know that, most of us don’t plan for the worst - it’s all a bit morbid and time consuming. The downside of not planning is the potential for hard earned assets to be squandered, family fall-outs, and money handed to the [...]
How tampons became a political debate GST is applied to tampons but not to incontinence pads. Viagra is exempt from GST but nipple shields for breast feeding mothers are not. Breakfast cereals are GST-free but breakfast bars and drinks are taxable. We explore the political football of GST exemptions. Australia’s goods and services tax (GST) [...]
New immediate deduction for primary producers Legislation that passed Parliament last month will enable primary producers to claim an immediate deduction for fodder storage assets such as silos and hay sheds used to store grain and other animal feed. The deduction is available if the primary producer first uses the asset or has the asset [...]
What does the China/US trade war mean to Australia? As the bilateral trade war between the US and China heats up, we look at what this might mean to Australia caught between its cultural and military ties to the US and its strong economic relationship with China. At the annual United Nations General Assembly President [...]
ATO takes its share of car sharing The extra income earned by people taking part in car sharing services such as Car Next Door or DriveMyCar has come to the attention of the ATO. The car sharing services work by making private cars publicly available in a similar way to other car hire services – [...]
Will Australians pay more for a good cause? In the same month that desperate farmers made headlines preparing to destroy starving flocks and pleading with the public to pay a few cents more for their dairy products, Dick Smith’s nationalistic brand announced its closure. The question is, will Australians pay more for a cause? Comments [...]
What’s changing on 1 July 2018? Individuals Personal tax bracket changes - The top threshold of the 32.5% personal income tax bracket will increase from $87,000 to $90,000*. Introduction of the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset* providing a tax offset for those with taxable income of up to $125,333. GST on property developments and [...]
In the news Tampon Tax The Labor Party has taken a pre-election strike by promising to remove the GST on tampons if they are elected. At present, tampons and other sanitary products, like razors for shaving and nappies, are considered consumables and GST applies. Incontinence pads however, because they are required for a medical issue, [...]
