September 2024 - Practice Update

Taxpayers can start lodging their tax returns With millions of pieces of information now pre-filled (including information from most banks, employers, government agencies and private health insurers), the ATO is giving taxpayers with simple affairs the ‘green light’ to lodge their tax returns. Taxpayers who plan to claim deductions this year should make sure they...

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August 2024 - Practice Update

ATO’s tips for correctly claiming deductions for rental properties Taxpayers who have work done on their rental property should consider the following factors in determining claims for expenses. Repairs and general maintenance are expenses for work done to remedy or prevent defects, damage or deterioration from using the property to earn income.  These expenses can...

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July 2024 - Practice Update

ATO’s ‘main residence exemption tips’ The main residence exemption needs to be considered in a variety of situations when a taxpayer sells a property they have lived in.  The ATO hopes that the following tips will help in this regard: Taxpayers should consider if they have started earning income from their home (in which case...

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April 2024 - Practice Update

Government warns of ‘malicious’ myGov scammers The Government has urged Australians to be vigilant regarding scammers who target ATO log-in details to commit tax fraud. The ATO has received a large number of reports of scammers using fake myGov sites to steal myGov sign-in details, which can be used to commit tax and refund fraud...

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April 2024 - Practice Update

How to claim working from home expenses Taxpayers who have been working from home this financial year, and who consequently incurred work-related expenses, have two ways to calculate their work from home deduction: the actual cost method; or the fixed rate method. Using the fixed rate method, taxpayers can claim a rate of 67 cents...

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March 2024 - Practice Update

Super contribution caps to rise The big news story for those contributing to super is that the contribution caps are set to increase from the 2025 income year. The concessional contribution cap will increase from $27,500 to $30,000. This ‘CC’ cap is broadly applicable to employer super guarantee contributions, personal deductible contributions and salary sacrificed...

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February 2024 - Practice Update

Government announces changes to proposed ‘Stage 3’ tax cuts Despite previous assurances, and after much speculation, the Government has announced tweaks to the ‘Stage 3’ tax cuts that will apply from 1 July 2024. More particularly, the Government proposes to: reduce the 19% tax rate to 16%; reduce the 32.5% tax rate to 30% for...

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December 2023 - Practice Update

ATO’s lodgment penalty amnesty is about to end The ATO is remitting failure to lodge penalties for eligible small businesses.  Businesses which have not yet taken advantage of the ATO’s lodgment penalty amnesty only have until 31 December 2023 to do so. Businesses must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for the...

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October 2023 - Practice Update

Taxpayers need to get their ‘rental right’ The ATO reminds rental property owners and their tax agents to take care when lodging their tax returns this tax time.  When preparing their tax returns, taxpayers should make sure all rental income is included, including income from short-term rental arrangements, renting part of a home, and other...

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September 2023 - Practice Update

ATO reminders for taxpayers As taxpayers prepare to lodge, the ATO reminds taxpayers that they should keep the following in mind: Include all income: If a taxpayer picked up some extra work, e.g., through online activities, the sharing economy, interest from investments, etc, they will need to include this in their tax return; Assess circumstances...

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August 2023 - Practice Update

Changes to deductions this tax time Taxpayers who are small business owners operating from home, or who use a vehicle for business purposes, need to be aware of some changes when claiming deductions this tax time, including the following. Cents-per-kilometre method – The cents-per-kilometre method for claiming car expenses increased from 72 cents to 78...

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June 2023 - Practice Update

In the ATO’s sights this Tax Time The ATO has announced its three key focus areas for this Tax Time: rental property deductions; work-related expenses; and capital gains tax. ATO Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh said the ATO is continuing to prioritise areas where they often see mistakes being made: “Within these areas, we have identified...

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April 2023 - Practice Update

Start thinking about your FBT obligations The 2023 FBT year ended on 31 March, so it is now time for employers to get ready to lodge their 2023 FBT returns, where they have provided benefits to their employees (or their associates) between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. If you have provided fringe benefits...

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January - February2022 - Practice Update

Electric vehicle FBT exemption legislation is now law Legislation to make certain electric vehicles exempt from Fringe Benefits Tax (‘FBT’) has now been enacted into law. Certain zero or low emissions vehicles provided as a car benefit on or after 1 July 2022, can be exempt from FBT. For this exemption to apply various criteria...

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December 2022 - Practice Update

ATO warning to SMSFs: “Paying the price for non-compliance” There are various courses of action available to the ATO when trustees of self-managed super funds (‘SMSFs’) have not complied with the super laws, including applying administrative penalties. A number of factors determine the amount of the administrative penalty, including: the type of contravention; when it...

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November 2022 - Practice Update

Director ID deadline is approaching The Government has launched an awareness campaign to help company directors get their director identification number (‘director ID’) as the 30 November deadline approaches. A director ID is a unique 15‑digit identifier that a company director will apply for once and keep forever.  Director IDs are administered by the Australian...

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September 2022 - Practice Update

More COVID-19 business grants are now tax-free The Federal Government has expanded the list of State and Territory COVID-19 grant programs that may be tax-free to eligible businesses. A State or Territory Government COVID-19 grant payment will generally be tax-free if: the payment is received under a grant program that is formally declared to be...

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August 2022 - Practice Update

Tax time focus on rental property income and deductions The ATO is focusing on four major concerns this tax season when it comes to rental properties. Concern 1: Include all rental income When preparing tax returns, make sure all rental income is included, such as from short-term rental arrangements, renting part of a home, and...

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July 2022 - Practice Update

Happy New Financial Year. It was such a busy June that we were not able to get the June newsletter went out. But the July update is jam-packed with a heap of useful information.   ATO’s small business focus for the 2022 income year The ATO announced that it will be focussing on the following...

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May 2022 - Practice Update

Disclosure of tax debts The ATO is in the process of writing to taxpayers that may be eligible to have their tax debts disclosed to credit reporting bureaus (‘CRBs’). The ATO can potentially report outstanding tax debts to a CRB where the following criteria are satisfied: The taxpayer has an Australian business number and is...

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April 2022 - Practice Update

2022-2023 Budget Measures that are now law Low and Middle Income Tax Offset A measure that will no doubt be beneficial for individual taxpayers is the increase in the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (‘LMITO’) for the 2022 income year by $420.  The LMITO is a tax offset which reduces an individual taxpayer’s tax...

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March 2022 - Practice Update

Tax deductibility of COVID-19 test expenses After much speculation, the Government announced that COVID-19 tests, including Polymerase Chain Reaction (‘PCR’) and Rapid Antigen Tests (‘RATs’), will be both: tax-deductible; and exempt from FBT; broadly where they are purchased for work-related purposes. This will require the introduction of new specific legislation (i.e., to clarify that work-related...

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December 2021 - Practice Update

After yet another year of challenges, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for their ongoing support and understanding throughout 2021. We look forward to welcoming you back in 2022 and working with you to reach your financial and personal goals.  From all of us at Hughes O’Dea Corredig, we wish...

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November 2021 - Practice Update

Varying PAYG instalments due to COVID-19 Taxpayers can vary their pay as you go (‘PAYG’) instalments throughout the year if they think they will pay too much, compared with their estimated tax for the year. To assist taxpayers who continue to be affected by COVID-19, the ATO has stated that it will not apply penalties...

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October 2021 - Practice Update

Extra super step when hiring new employees Employers may soon need to do something extra when a new employee starts to work for them. Currently, if a new employee does not choose their own fund, their employer can pay contributions for them to a default fund. From 1 November 2021, if a new employee does...

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September 2021 - Practice Update

Extending administrative relief for companies to use technology The Government has passed legislation renewing the temporary relief that allows companies to use technology to meet regulatory requirements under the Corporations Act 2001. These temporary relief measures will allow companies to hold virtual meetings and use electronic communications to send meeting-materials and execute documents until 31...

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ifa EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021

Lisa Papachristoforos has been shortlisted for the ifa Excellence Awards 2021.   Lisa Papachristoforos has been named as a finalist in the ifa Excellence Awards for SMSF Adviser of the Year.    The finalist list, which was announced on 24 August 2021, features over 210 high-achieving financial services professionals across 27 submission-based categories. The ifa...

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July 2021 - Practice Update

Super guarantee contribution due date for June 2021 quarter The due date for employers to make super guarantee contributions for their employees for the June 2021 quarter is 28 July 2021. Note that the super guarantee rate in relation to salary and wages paid on or before 30 June 2021 is 9.5%, but the super...

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June 2021 - Practice Update

Cryptocurrency under the microscope this tax time The ATO is concerned that many taxpayers believe their cryptocurrency gains are tax-free, or only taxable when the holdings are cashed back into Australian dollars. ATO data analysis shows a dramatic increase in trading since the beginning of 2020, and has estimated that there are over 600,000 taxpayers...

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May 2021 - Practice Update

Government proposal to modernise business communications The Government has committed to modernising certain laws so that they are ‘technology neutral’, to enable easier communication between businesses, individuals and regulators. The first phase of legislative reform will focus on key areas raised by stakeholders which are implementation-ready (ideally by the end of 2021), including: expanding the...

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April 2021 - Practice Update

JobKeeper comes to an end The ATO has advised that the final JobKeeper payment will be processed in April 2021. Enrolled businesses do not have to do anything when the program closes, although they will need to complete their final March monthly business declaration by 14 April 2021. Also, once a business is no longer...

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March 2021 - Practice Update

Changes to STP reporting concessions from 1 July 2021 Small employers (19 or fewer employees) are currently exempt from reporting ‘closely held’ payees through Single Touch Payroll (‘STP’).  Also, a quarterly STP reporting option applies to micro employers (four or fewer employees).  These concessions will end on 30 June 2021. The STP reporting changes that...

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February 2021 - Practice Update

Staff Update After 7 years at reception, Kay has decided to leave Hughes O’Dea Corredig, her last day being 25th February 2021. We wish Kay all the best for the future, words are insufficient to express our gratefulness and appreciation of all that Kay has done at reception and at Hughes O’Dea Corredig during this...

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January 2021 - Practice Update

New insolvency rules commence Important changes to Australia’s insolvency laws commenced operation on 1 January 2021. The measures apply to incorporated businesses with liabilities less than $1 million and are expected to cover around 76 per cent of businesses currently subject to insolvency. The new rules do not apply to partnerships or sole traders. The Treasury’s...

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December 2020 - Practice Update

JobKeeper Update In welcome news, the ATO is extending the due date for lodgement of the December JobKeeper business monthly declaration to Thursday 28 January 2021 (instead of 14 January 2021).  The key dates are as follows : Between 4 January 2021 and 28 January 2021 – complete the December business monthly declaration (this is an extension...

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November 2020 - Practice Update

Tax cuts pass Parliament The Government announced various tax measures in the 2020 Budget on 6 October 2020, and it was able to secure passage of legislation containing some of the important measures very shortly afterwards, as summarised below. Tax relief for individuals The Government brought forward ‘Stage two’ of their Personal Income Tax Plan...

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September 2020 - Practice Update

Superannuation guarantee rate increase update Recently, arguments both for and against increasing the rate of compulsory superannuation guarantee (‘SG’) have continued to be tossed around! The SG is the compulsory amount of superannuation an employer must pay into an eligible employee’s chosen super fund. The rate of SG has been frozen at 9.5% of an...

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Jan / Feb 2018 - Practice Update

Further ‘affordable housing’ measures passed Parliament has passed the legislation allowing first home buyers to save for a deposit inside superannuation through the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS), and also allowing older Australians to ‘downsize’ and then contribute the proceeds of the sale of their family home into superannuation. From 1 July 2018, a...

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