Tax
Gifts and FBT
Gifts provided to employees or their associates — that gold, frankincense and myrrh you picked up at the Black Friday sales — will typically constitute a property fringe benefit and therefore are subject to FBT unless the minor benefit exemption applies. Gifts, and indeed all benefits associated with a Christmas function, should be considered separately to […]
Common rental property tax mistakes to avoid
The ATO is reminding rental property owners that each year it sees some fairly common mistakes being made with the claims made, and the tax outcomes that result, in regard to investment properties. It has therefore released a list of the top 10 stumbles, and how best to avoid them.
End of financial year tax planning
This financial year is almost over, but there are still tactics you may be able to employ to make sure you pay the right amount of tax for the 2018-19 year. While the best strategies are adopted in July (that is, as early as possible in a financial year and not at the end), it’s […]
Home office expenses: What will the ATO accept?
Home office expense claims are subject to the same general substantiation requirements as other deductions – that is, records must be kept for five years. But in practice, full compliance with the substantiation rules may be difficult. It may be simple to keep a receipt for a printer purchased for a home business, but not […]
What attracts the ATO’s attention
There are certain behaviours, characteristics and tax issues that the ATO admits will attract its attention. But as it is more interested to see taxpayers get things right rather than the bother, and expense, of chasing down every misdemeanour, the ATO has spelled out the areas that most concern it — that is, the incidents […]
