Spry Roughley Articles

The Federal Government has announced a temporary COVID Disaster Payment to assist workers who reside or work in a Commonwealth declared hotspot, who are unable to attend work and earn an income as a result of state-imposed health restrictions that last for longer than one week.  Read more…

The Federal Government has once again quietly sought to freeze the private health insurance income thresholds for the private health insurance incentive, this time for another two years, with indexation of the thresholds to start up again from 1 July 2023. Most people with private health insurance takes the private health insurance incentive in the form of reduced premiums, although it can also be taken as a tax offset.  Read more…

According to ATO estimates, over 600,000 Australian taxpayers have invested in crypto-assets in recent years. The ATO has recently issued a reminder that although many people may believe that gains made through cryptocurrency trading are tax-free, or only taxable when the holdings are cashed back into "real" Australian dollars, in fact this is not the case – capital gains tax (CGT) does apply where gains or losses are in the form of crypto-assets.  Read more…

Businesses that have accessed government economic stimulus measures need to take extra care this tax time. The ATO has announced that it will increase its scrutiny, conducting compliance activity on various economic stimulus measures introduced to help businesses recover from the effects of COVID-19. These stimulus measures include loss carry-back, temporary full expensing and accelerated depreciation. While the ATO said it will continue to support businesses, most of whom are doing the right thing, it is looking at behaviour or development of schemes designed to deliberately exploit various stimulus measures. All taxpayers that have used the schemes are encouraged to review their claims to ensure they are eligible, and that the amounts claimed are correct.  Read more…

Contrary to some popular beliefs, a self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) can invest in collectables such as artworks, jewellery and wine, as well as personal use assets such as boats, classic cars and other vehicles. However, investment in these assets must occur in keeping very strict and specific rules in order to qualify, and thus care should be taken to avoid breaches of super rules in relation to owning collectables and personal use assets in SMSFs.  Read more…

Emails impersonating myGov

The ATO and Services Australia have issued a warning about a new email phishing scam doing the rounds. The emails claim to be from "myGov" and include screenshots of the myGovID app. myGovID can be used to prove who you are when accessing Australian government online services.  Read more…

Businesses that have provided fringe benefits to their employees should be aware that the 2021 FBT return (for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021) is due, and payment of any associated FBT liability is required immediately.  Read more…

As a part of a suite of measures introduced by the government to combat phoenixing activities, the ATO now has the power to retain an income tax refund where a taxpayer (including both businesses and individuals) has outstanding notifications. The discretion to retain refunds previously only applied in relation to notifications under the business activity statement (BAS) or petroleum resources rent tax (PRRT) but has now been expanded.  Read more…

As the economy adjusts to the removal of most COVID-19-related government support measures, coupled with the slow national vaccination rollout and mostly closed international borders, there is no doubt that many Australians are facing financial difficulties in the immediate short term. If your clients have a tax debt that is compounding their financial difficulties, there may be a solution – they may be able to apply to be permanently released from the debt, provided they meet certain criteria.  Read more…

The ATO has announced that it will run a new data-matching program to collect property management data for the 2018–2019 to 2022–2023 financial years, and will also extend the existing rental bond data-matching program through to 30 June 2023.  Read more…

Don't jump the gun and lodge too early

Tax time 2021 is almost here, but it's likely to be anything but routine. Many individuals on reduced incomes or who have increased deductions may be eager to lodge their income tax returns early to get their hands on a refund. However, as always the ATO is warning against lodging too early, before all your income information becomes available. It's important to remember that employers have until the end of July to electronically finalise their employees' income statements, and the same timeframe applies for other information from banks, health funds and government agencies.  Read more…

The ATO has issued a worksheet which summarises the FBT rates and thresholds for 2021–2022 (ie 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022). Most of the rates have been previously announced, but the worksheet helpfully puts the numbers in one place and does include two previously unannounced thresholds.  Read more…

The ATO is reminding owners of businesses that provide various services to lodge their taxable payments annual report (TPAR) for the 2019–2020 income year. It estimates that around 280,000 businesses were required to lodge a TPAR for the 2019–2020 financial year, but at the beginning of March around 60,000 businesses still had not complied with the lodgment requirements. The reports were originally due on 28 August 2020. To avoid possible penalties, these businesses are encouraged to lodge as soon as possible.  Read more…

A number of important stimulus and support measures are coming to an end, and some others have begun phasing out, which will occur over a slightly longer period. 

The following discussion does not address the status of all Coronavirus Support measures that have been implemented. For example, it does not include the various state-based revenue concessions (eg for payroll tax), nor other measures that have already ended (eg cash flow boost payments, early access to super). Its purpose is to highlight that, as the pandemic (hopefully) recedes, so too government support winds back. Advisors and clients need to prepare for a business environment where the government safety net is not as wide.  Read more…

Having insurance through superannuation can be a tax-effective and cost-effective way of protecting yourself and your loved ones. Most funds offer three different types of insurance through super, each covering different contingencies: life insurance, total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance and income protection insurance.  Read more…

With insecure, contract and casual work becoming increasingly common, particularly in the current COVID-19 affected economy, it's no surprise that many young and not-so-young Australians may have income from more than one job. Where your clients are working two or more jobs casually or have overlapping contract work, they may seek your assistance in avoiding an unexpected end of financial year tax debt.  Read more…

Small employers with closely held payees have been exempt from reporting these payees through single touch payroll (STP) for the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 financial years. However, they must commence from 1 July 2021.  Read more…

The ATO is kicking into gear in 2021 with another two data-matching programs specifically related to the JobMaker Hiring Credit and early access to superannuation (COVID-19 condition). While the data collected will mostly be used to identify compliance issues and initiate compliance activities in relation to JobMaker and early access to super, it will also be used where applicable to identify compliance issues relating to other COVID-19 economic stimulus measures including JobKeeper and cash flow boosts.  Read more…

The superannuation general transfer balance cap is set to increase on 1 July 2021. This follows the release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) of the All groups consumer price index (CPI) index number of 117.2 for the December 2020 quarter, which has triggered the indexation of the general transfer balance cap to $1.7 million (up from $1.6 million since 2017–2018).  Read more…

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Your Future, Your Super) Bill 2021 was introduced into the House of Representatives on 17 February 2021 to implement some of the measures announced in the 2020–2021 Federal Budget. It also incorporates the Productivity Commission's report Superannuation: Assessing Efficiency and Competitiveness.  Read more…