Make sure you update your ABN: It can be vital

3 July 2021

Government agencies regularly access data contained in the ABN registration, and where this is not up-to-date the taxpayer may be missing out on stimulus measures, grants, and other government support.

This became painfully evident during the 2019-20 bushfires, and is now re-surfacing during COVID-19 when it was found that a concerning amount of ABN data was out-of-date.

The ATO and the Australian Business Register are making efforts to remind businesses and relevant taxpayers that it is essential to ensure ABN registration details are accurate and completely up-to-date.

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When it comes to real estate and CGT, timing is important

16 June 2021

When you sell or otherwise dispose of real estate, the time of the event (when you make a capital gain or loss) is usually when one of the following occurs:

You enter into the contract (the date on the contract), not when you settle. The fact that a contract is subject to a condition, such as finance approval, generally doesn’t affect this date.
The change of ownership occurs if there is no contract – such as when a property passes to a beneficiary.
The real estate is compulsorily acquired – the time of the event is earliest of
- when you receive compensation from the acquiring entity
- when the entity became the property’s owner
- when the entity enters the property under a power of compulsory acquisition or takes possession under that power.

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Dealing with excess before-tax super contributions

5 June 2021

Making extra before-tax contributions into super (called concessional contributions) can help boost a person’s retirement savings. But fund members need to be aware of the implications for when they exceed the concessional contributions cap.

Since 2013-14, when the excess concessional contributions refunding scheme came into effect, individuals exceeding their concessional contribution cap will accrue a tax liability.

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Managing your superannuation transfer balance account

29 May 2021

Most people think of retirement as a time to put your feet up and relax, but it can also be a time when pre-retirees and retirees alike actually need to flex the grey matter.

With all the rules and regulations swirling around the superannuation sector these days, it’s not unusual for those nearing retirement to feel compelled to dust off the calculator and bone up on certain superannuation concepts. The transfer balance account and the transfer balance cap are topics that can challenge many retirees.

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Single touch payroll: When your reporting can cease

10 April 2021

A business may no longer be required to lodge single touch payroll (STP) reports for a number of reasons. These are if your business no longer has employees, has ceased trading, has changed structure, is not paying employees for the rest of the year, or has paused due to COVID-19.

Depending on your business’s situation and circumstances, what you need to do may be different.

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Both tax and SMSF audits on still on ATO’s radar, but some leniency given

13 March 2021

While the ATO has lately been focusing on the rollout of stimulus measures, it has also flagged that audit work is not off the table completely.

In late July, when the ATO fronted a parliamentary Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, its representative said plans were to start tax audits sometime between September and October 2020. Time and efforts however were diverted to the rollout of the JobKeeper scheme and other stimulus measures, with the ATO sourcing staff for this work by redeploying people from initiating audits, saying it had been a “conscious choice” not to initiate new audits during the peak of the pandemic.

But that, as they say in the classics, was then — and this is now. The takeaway for everyone is that audits will not go away, and will come at some point, so taxpayers and SMSF trustees need to have their affairs in order.

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Land Tax Assessments 2020/21

3 March 2021

If you have not received your Land Tax assessment yet, Revenue SA are currently processing these and you should expect to receive these in the post very soon.

For the 2020/21 financial year there are some changes to the way land is grouped for assessment.

Which may result in you receiving assessments in multiple ownerships for the first time.

Due to these changes, if you hold land in a trust, due to higher trust land tax rates, you may find your Land Tax Assessments are significantly higher than the previous year. Please contact our office should you require assistance, as we may be able to assist with reducing this assessment.

Please note exempt land, such as your main residence will appear on your Land Tax Assessment, although it remains exempt and excluded for calculation purposes.

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Calling time out on your business? Some essentials you’ll need to know

7 February 2021

When you first went into business, either buying an established enterprise or starting from scratch, probably the last thing on your mind was the day you would close the door for the last time.

But in a way it’s inevitable, whether through the outcomes from COVID-19, retirement, health reasons or, in a more ideal scenario, pursuing another career. But it’s important for you to know what’s involved when you come to the time when you close your business, as this can go a long way to smoothing the transition.

For starters, it’s important that all your tax issues are finalised before you cancel your Australian business number (ABN), which ceases that business. This allows the ATO to finalise your business’s account and issue any refunds that may be owing.

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New data matching programs initiated by Federal Government

11 December 2020

Over the first quarter of this financial year, the government has initiated two new data matching programs, using data that the ATO holds.

Data matching involves bringing together data from different sources and comparing it. For example, records from different agencies or businesses are compared, with the results possibly identifying people who are being paid benefits to which they may not be entitled, or people who may not be paying the right amount of tax.

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ATO’s cyber safety checklist

11 December 2020

Scammers never seem to rest, with even the lastest JobKeeper iteration coming in for some scam treatment. In a new update the ATO reports that it is receiving reports of email scams about JobKeeper and backing business investment claims. “The fake emails say we’re investigating your claims. They ask you to provide valuable personal information, including copies of your driver’s licence and Medicare card.”

During this time of heightened scam activity, the ATO is encouraging individuals and businesses to:

Use multi-factor authentication where possible and don’t share your password with anyone
Run the latest software updates to ensure operating systems security is current
Secure your private wi-fi network with passwords (not the default password) and do not make financial transactions when using public wi-fi networks
Exercise caution when clicking on links and providing personal identifying information
Only access online government services via an independent search – not via emails or SMS
If in doubt, call the ATO on an independently sourced number to verify an interaction
Educate your staff on cyber safety and scams.

To report a data breach or scam visit ato.gov.au/onlinesecurity