Payday super’ will overhaul the way in which superannuation guarantee is administered. We look at the first details and the impending obligations on employers.

With the continued growth and development of DAA, it is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Rhianan Henderson to the role of Director – Operations. Rhianan was DAA’s very first employee in 2009. Today, we are an established and complex business and Rhianan’s dedication and professionalism have been instrumental in managing the…

The main residence exemption exempts your family home from capital gains tax (CGT) when you dispose of it. But, like all things involving tax, it’s never that simple. As the character of Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle said, “it’s not a house. It’s a home,” and the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) interpretation of a main…

Legislation increasing the instant asset write-off threshold from $1,000 to $20,000 for the 2024 income year passed Parliament just 5 days prior to the end of the financial year. Purchases of depreciable assets with a cost of less than $20,000 that a small business makes between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 can potentially…

It is with great pleasure we announce the appointment of Hayden Bunyan as a Principal of DAA. Hayden joined us in August 2015 and from the outset he was an enthusiastic and motivated young accountant with a strong work ethic and desire to learn. In the ten years since, Hayden has worked tirelessly on his…

Company money crackdown The ATO is cracking down on business owners who take money or use company resources for themselves. It’s common for business owners to utilise company resources for their personal use. The business is often such a part of their life that the line distinguishing ‘the business’ from their life can be blurred…

A recent case before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) highlights the importance of ensuring that the evidence supports the tax position you are taking. The case involves heritage farmland originally purchased for $1.6m that sold 7 years later for $4.25m and the GST debt that the ATO is now pursuing on the sale. In 2013,…

Australians love property and the lure of a 15% preferential tax rate on income during the accumulation phase, and potentially no tax during retirement, is a strong incentive for many SMSF trustees to dream of large returns from property development. We look at the pros, cons, and problems that often occur. An SMSF can invest…

The personal income tax cuts legislated to commence on 1 July 2024 will be realigned and redistributed under a proposal released by the Federal Government. After much speculation, the Prime Minister has announced that the Government will amend the legislated Stage 3 tax cuts scheduled to commence on 1 July 2024. Relative to the current…

A decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal has the tax world in a flurry after the Tribunal found in favour of a taxpayer who sold the apartment she lived in for a loss, then claimed the $265,935 loss in her tax return as a deduction. In this case, the taxpayer successfully argued that the purchase…

Don’t want to pay tax on Christmas? Here are our top tips to avoid giving the Australian Tax Office a bonus this festive season. 1. Keep team gifts spontaneous $300 is the minor benefit threshold for FBT so anything at or above this level will mean that your Christmas generosity will result in a gift…

Legislation currently being debated in Parliament will introduce a new criminal offence for intentional “wage theft”. If enacted, in addition to the criminal offence, a fine will apply. The fine is three times the underpayment and: For individuals – 5,000 penalty units (currently $1,565,000). For businesses – 25,000 penalty units (currently $7,825,000). The reforms are…

The ATO estimates that incorrect reporting of rental property income and expenses is costing around $1 billion each year in forgone tax revenue. A big part of the problem is how taxpayers are claiming interest on their investment property loans. We’ve seen an uptick in ATO activity focussing on refinanced or redrawn loans. This activity…

What happens when a trust appoints income to a private company beneficiary but does not actually make the payment? The tax treatment of this unpaid amount was at the centre of a recent case before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) that saw a taxpayer successfully challenge the ATO’s long held position (Bendel and Commissioner of…

Treasury has released draft legislation for consultation to enact the Government’s plan to increase the tax rate on earnings on superannuation balances above $3m from 15% to 30% from 1 July 2025. This is the final step before the legislation is introduced into Parliament. From a planning perspective, for those with superannuation balances close to…

The Australian Taxation Office have released a new draft ruling on self-education expenses. We revisit the deductibility of self-education expenses and what you can and can’t claim. If you undertake study that is connected to your work you can normally claim your costs of that study as a tax deduction – assuming your employer has…

Property investors that choose to utilise their property for short-term stays (or leave it vacant) are firmly in the sights of the regulators. The Victorian Government’s recent Housing Statement announced Australia’s first short-stay property tax. The additional tax, which is scheduled to come into effect from 1 January 2025, is expected to generate $70 million…

Electricity is the new black. Gas and other fossil fuels are out. A new, limited incentive nudges business towards energy efficiency. We show you how to maximise the deduction! The small business energy incentive is the latest measure providing a bonus tax deduction to nudge the investment behaviour of small and medium businesses, this time…

You’ve got a block of land that’s perfect for a subdivision. The details have all been worked out with Council, the builders, and the bank. But, one important aspect has been left out; the tax implications. Many small-scale developers often assume that their tax exposure is minimal – but this is not always the case…

What is the end game for your business? Succession is not just a topic for a TV series or billionaire families, it’s about successfully transitioning your business and maximising its capital value for you, the owners. When it comes to generational succession of a family business, there are a few important aspects: Succession of the…