Entries by Hurley & Co

Legislation makes many accountants responsible for the health and safety of the workers in their organizations. How do you ensure your business is safe?

New Zealand’s workplace health and safety records paint a very grim picture. Every year, 50 to 60 people are killed in workplace incidents, and hundreds more die as a result of work-related ill health. New Zealand’s fatality statistics are nearly twice as high as Australia’s, and three times as high as those of the UK. […]

Superannuation downsizing measures to become reality

The government has passed elements of its housing affordability plan, allowing those over the age of 65 to funnel money from the sale of their home into super. As of 1 July 2018, Australians aged 65 and over who are selling a home they’ve owned for at least 10 years will be able to funnel […]

ATO’s 2018 hit list targets smaller tax avoiders

In an interview with Acuity, Australian Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan FCA spells out his new agenda for 2018, where he sets small business and big spenders in his sights. In Brief ATO Commissioner Chris Jordan gives Acuity the first detailed explanation of his 2018 tax “hit list”. The hit list focuses on small businesses and […]

Top 10 tips to help rental property owners avoid common tax mistakes

Whether you use a tax agent or choose to lodge your tax return yourself, avoiding these common mistakes will save you time and money. The Australian Taxation Office has published the following list. Keeping the right records You must have evidence of your income and expenses so you can claim everything you are entitled to. […]

New depreciation legislation for Australian property investors – Second-hand residential properties

In one of the most dramatic changes to property depreciation legislation in more than 15 years, Parliament has passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Tax Integrity) Bill 2017 as at Wednesday 15th November 2017, with the Bill now legislation. The new legislation means owners of second-hand residential properties (where contracts exchanged after 7:30pm on the […]

Client Alert Explanatory Memorandum (December 2017)

Consultation paper: combating phoenix activities The Federal Government has released a consultation paper on company and tax law reforms to combat phoenix activities. Phoenixing occurs when individuals or entities strip assets from an indebted company and transfer them to another company to avoid paying the first company’s liabilities. The following proposals are under consideration: The […]

Client Alert (December 2017)

Consultation paper: combating phoenix activities The Federal Government has released a consultation paper proposing company and tax law reforms to combat phoenix activities. Phoenix activities involve stripping assets from a company that’s in debt and transferring them to another company to avoid paying the first company’s liabilities – that is, the new company “rises from […]

Client Alert Explanatory Memorandum (November 2017)

Compensation for ATO systems outages After the ATO’s unplanned system outages, it provided lodgment deferrals, and remitted interest and penalties where the outages affected practitioners and their clients’ lodgments. But what about compensation? The ATO has advised that it assesses claims for compensation in two ways: compensation for legal liability (eg negligence)– claims that are […]

Client Alert (November 2017)

Compensation for ATO systems outages After the ATO’s unplanned systems outages, it provided lodgment deferrals, and remitted interest and penalties where the outages affected practitioners and their clients’ lodgments. The ATO has also advised that it assesses claims for compensation in two ways: compensation for legal liability (eg negligence); and compensation under the Compensation for […]

Planning for the post-Christmas slump

Planning for the post-Christmas slump If you have failed to properly prepare for the post-Christmas slowdown many businesses experience, you may be in for a shock when you return from your well-deserved break. Post-Christmas is a dangerous time for small businesses, especially business to business (B2B) operators. As business starts to slow down for the […]