Stay up to date with what's happened in Australian markets over the past month.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February increased volatility on global financial markets and fuelled uncertainty about the pace of global economic recovery.

If your business has had issues paying your tax debt due to the ongoing effects and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, remember that the best option is to engage with the ATO to manage those debts. Failure to get in touch with the ATO to come to an arrangement will not only affect the potential penalties imposed, but may also your business’ credit score.

As a part of an economic package to help businesses recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government provided cheap credit to qualifying small and medium enterprises in the form of the SME Recovery Loan Scheme. When it was first introduced, and until 31 December 2021, the government essentially guaranteed 80% of the loan amount.

Stay up to date with what's happened in Australian markets over the past month.

January is normally a quiet month on the economic scene, but not this year. Inflation and speculation about rising interest rates dominated the month, sending global shares tumbling.

Stay up to date with what's happened in Australian markets over the past month.

The global economy and financial markets ended the year as they began, dominated by the pandemic, as the world grappled with a new wave of COVID-19.

With tax time 2021 nearly over, many businesses will now finalising their tax returns. For many of these businesses, the 2020-21 income year may not have been a good year due to various lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions. Businesses whose total deductions exceed their assessable income for the year will generally make a tax loss which can then be carried forward, back, or be utilised in future years, depending on your preference and eligibility criteria.

Australian shares are popular investments with self-funded retirees and anyone who depends on income from their investments, due in part to the favourable tax treatment of franked dividends.

After falling off in the early days of the COVID pandemic, share prices and dividends bounced back strongly in the year to June 2021.
Investors who depend on income from their shares also have more certainty now that the Labor Party has dropped its opposition to cash refunds of excess franking credits, a policy that attracted fierce resistance from retirees at the last federal election.

It was hard to miss the media splash about international tax evasion when the Pandora Papers were released, with local interest focussing on what Australian tax authorities would do with this massive trove of information.

But it seems the ATO is relaxed. Deputy Commissioner and Serious Financial Crime Taskforce Chief Will Day responded that the tax man doesn’t “rely on data leaks to do our job. We detect, investigate and deal with offshore tax evasion year-round.”

So where does the ATO get its data from and how is it being used?

The Director Identification Number regime came into force late in 2020 as a tool for the government to reduce phoenixing and black economy activities. Broadly, the regime will require all directors to confirm their identity with the ATO, at which time they will be issued a unique identifier. This identifier will then be permanently linked to the individual even if they cease to be a director.

Stay up to date with what's happened in Australian markets over the past month.

As November drew to a close, and we look towards the end of the year, all eyes were on the new strain of the coronavirus, Omicron. 

Please get in touch if you’d like assistance with your personal financial situation.