5 things that will make or break your business’s Christmas

The countdown to Christmas is now on and we’re in the midst of the headlong rush to get everything done and capitalise on any remaining opportunities before the Christmas lull. Busy period or not, Christmas causes a period of dislocation and volatility for most businesses

New Business, Taxation, Business DevelopmentJPR BUSINESS GROUP6 December 2019business, small business, SME, christmas

Bushfire relief from ATO obligations

The ATO has provided relief from lodgement compliance and payment obligations for those impacted by the bushfires. An automatic two month deferral for activity statements lodgements and payments due has been provided to those in affected postcodes.

Super guarantee opt-out for employees with multiple employers

Employees with multiple employers can now opt-out of superannuation guarantee from all but one employer.

Financial Accounting, SuperannuationJPR BUSINESS GROUP2 December 2019super guarantee, superannuation

Are you paying your staff correctly? Woolworths $200m plus remediation

Woolworths is the latest company to facing a fallout from the underpayment of staff. In what is believed to be the largest remediation of its kind, Woolworths have stated that they have underpaid 5,700 salaried team members with remediation expected to be in the range of $200m to $300m (before tax).

Financial Accounting, Corporate Secretarial, TaxationJPR BUSINESS GROUP1 November 2019tax, wages, wage theft

Can the tax office take money out of your account? Your right to know

You might have seen the recent spate of media freedom advertisements as part of the Your Right to Know campaign. The prime-time advertising states that the Australian Tax Office (ATO) can take money from your account without you knowing. The question is, do you really know what powers the ATO have?

Investment, TaxationJPR BUSINESS GROUP1 November 2019tax, Taxation

Vacant land deduction changes hit ‘Mum & Dad’ property developments

Legislation that passed through Parliament last month prevents taxpayers from claiming a deduction for expenses incurred for holding vacant land. The amendments are not only retrospective but go beyond purely vacant land.

Investment, Superannuation, TaxationJPR BUSINESS GROUP1 November 2019tax, Taxation, property, property law

CGT and the family home: expats and foreigners targeted again

The Government has resurrected its plan to remove access to the main residence exemption for non-residents – a move that will impact on expats and foreign residents.

Taxation, SuperannuationJPR BUSINESS GROUP1 November 2019Tax, Taxation, Capital Gains Tax

Super Guarantee Amnesty Resurrected

The Government has resurrected the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) amnesty giving employers that have fallen behind with their SG obligations the ability to “self-correct.” This time however, the incentive of the amnesty is strengthened by harsh penalties for those that fail to take action.

Tax alert: Distributions to non-resident beneficiaries

The ATO’s recently released interpretation of the tax treatment of capital gains distributed by an Australian discretionary trust to non-resident beneficiaries will have a significant negative impact for some.

TaxationJPR BUSINESS GROUP3 October 2019ATO, Tax, Taxation, Capital Gains Tax

Towards Zero Interest Rates (and what it means to you)

The Reserve Bank of Australia is widely tipped to reduce interest rates again to historic lows. Easton Wealth economist Emmanuel Calligeris explores the impact.