In an effort to combat the economic effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, the government has released an $17.6bn stimulus package which is expected to provide direct support for up to 6.5m individuals and 3.5m businesses. The package includes the following:

The ATO has started contacting certain employers that provide car parking fringe benefits to their employees to ensure that all FBT obligations are being met. 

Data released In February gave an early indication of how the Australian economy has been impacted by the bush fires and corona virus.

Many of you have heard of illegal phoenixing but are not sure of what exactly it encompasses. While there is no legislative definition of illegal phoenixing or phoenixing activity, at its core, it is the use of serial deliberate insolvency as a business model to avoid paying company debts. 

To be eligible for superannuation fund tax concessions, SMSFs are required to be maintained for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits to members, it is what is known as a sole purpose test (s 62 of the SIS Act).

Thinking about tapping into your super early to help with mounting expenses? It’s not easy as the eligibility rules are strict.

Have you heard about the salary sacrificing loopholes that can adversely affect your retirement savings plans? Under current laws, employees who sacrifice some of their salary in return for additional super contributions may end up receiving less than they expected because of these two legal loopholes:

Under the “downsizer” contribution scheme, individuals aged 65 years and over who sell their home may contribute sale proceeds of up to $300,000 per member as a “downsizer” superannuation contribution (which means up to $600,000 for a couple).

Do you have any amounts of offshore income you haven’t declared to the ATO – perhaps interest from a foreign bank account?

Private companies that pay amounts of money, make loans, or forgives debts of shareholders or associates of shareholders, may be subject to Div 7A rules which are designed to ensure that income is not inappropriately sheltered at the corporate tax rate.