It’s been a little over a year since the dual changes of the pension transfer balance cap and the reduction of tax concessions for transition to retirement pensions were implemented by the government. Recent research has indicated that these changes has achieved their policy outcome by making almost 25% of previously tax-free SMSF assets lose their […]
With the deadline of 31 October for self-preparers edging closer, the ATO is looking to drive lodgement compliance, with about 7 million completed returns lodged so far this tax time. Broken down, about 4.3 million taxpayers have lodged via a tax agent, with just over 2.7 million taxpayers having lodged their own returns through myTax. […]
In this global interconnected world, many Australians will no doubt leave Australia to work in many different countries in a vast array of professions. However, just because you leave Australia for a period time, that doesn’t mean that your Australian tax obligations are no longer relevant. Australian tax is based on the concept of “residency”. […]
Issuing a garnishee order is a cheap and easy way to claw back some of your debt, but there are a few matters to consider first. Bypass your debtor and go straight to the source of their funds Once the court has given you a judgment against your judgment debtor, and they have failed to satisfy […]
The Government has announced that the Age Pension eligibility age will not go up to 70, as planned. But it is still going up, as is the superannuation preservation age. The move to take the Age Pension eligibility age up to 67 was legislated by the last Labor Government. The process started in July last […]
With all the media coverage around the negative behaviour of many large financial advisory firms and their affiliates, you may be forgiven for wanting to deal with a smaller, perhaps more independent financial adviser in the future, but what exactly does “independent” mean in in terms of financial services? Under the Corporations Act, a person who […]
In Australia, there are currently around 7.7m ABNs with over 860,000 new ABNs issued in 2017-18. The ABN system was originally introduced in 2000 as a way to provide businesses with a unique identifier when dealing with the government and to support the introduction and administration of GST. Over the years, the ABN has become a […]
Do you ever wonder what happens to your superannuation after you die? This is particularly important if you have a Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF). To assist SMSF members to understand the requirements of the superannuation and taxation laws, the article – by Monica Rule (an SMSF expert) has provided answers to common questions asked by […]
It might seem like a horror movie cliché, a monster that follows you wherever you go, but did you know that your higher education debts under the Higher Education Loan program (HELP), Trade Support Loan (TSL) or the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) debts follow you wherever you go in the world? Prior to 2017, […]
Are you paying the right amount of super for your employees? It’s that time of the year again, where the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) release the indexation factors that are critical in determining various superannuation thresholds. While the super guarantee is still frozen at 9.5%, the maximum contribution base will increase to $54,030 per quarter […]