What makes or breaks Christmas? The cost of living has eased over the past year but consumers are still under pressure. For business, planning is the key to managing Christmas volatility. The countdown to Christmas is on and we’re in the midst of a headlong rush to maximise any remaining opportunities before the Christmas lull. [...]
Are student loans too big? Australian voters tend to reject US style education favouring more egalitarian systems where income does not determine access. In the US, average student debt is USD $37,693 (public and private debt) taking an average of 20 years for individuals to repay. But, students often have a gap not fulfilled by [...]
When overseas workers are Australian employees The Fair Work Commission has determined that a Philippines based “independent contractor” was an employee unfairly dismissed by her Australian employer. Like us, you are probably curious how a foreign national living in the Philippines, who had an ‘independent contractors’ agreement with an Australian company, could be classified as [...]
Payday super: the details ‘Payday super’ will overhaul the way in which superannuation guarantee is administered. We look at the first details and the impending obligations on employers. From 1 July 2026, employers will be obligated to pay superannuation guarantee (SG) on behalf of their employees on the same day as salary and wages instead [...]
The ban on genetic test insurance discrimination The ability for life insurers to discriminate based on adverse predictive genetic test results will be banned under a new Government proposal. Predictive genetic tests detect gene variants associated with heritable disorders that appear after birth, often later in life, but are not clinically detectable at the time [...]
More women using ‘downsizer’ contributions to boost super If you are aged 55 years or older, the downsizer contribution rules enable you to contribute up to $300,000 from the proceeds of the sale of your home to your superannuation fund (eligibility criteria applies). In 2023-24, over 57% of people making a ‘downsizer’ contribution to super [...]
01 Succession: the series Ok, not that Succession series. Each month we’ll bring you a new perspective on transferring property. Be it estate planning, managing an inheritance, or the various forms of business succession. This month, we look at the tax consequences of inheriting property. Beyond the difficult task of dividing up your assets and [...]
It wasn’t me: the tax fraud scam You login to your myGov account to find that your activity statements for the last 12 months have been amended and GST credits of $100k issued. But it wasn’t you. And you certainly didn’t get a $100k refund in your bank account. What happens now? In what is [...]
Property and ‘lifestyle’ assets in the spotlight Own an investment property or an expensive lifestyle asset like a boat or aircraft? The ATO are looking closely at these assets to see if what has been declared in tax returns matches up. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has initiated two data matching programs impacting investment property [...]
Is the RBA to blame? The economic state of play The politicians have weighed in on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s economic policy and their reticence to reduce interest rates in the face of community pressure. We look at what the numbers are really showing. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has stated that global uncertainty and rate [...]