Can the ATO’s public rulings help your outcomes?
The ATO can issue public rulings that provide guidance on the interpretation of various tax laws. Public rulings generally deal with priority issues that have been found to require clarification, so if you have a concern about a particular area of tax law, you may...
Alternatives to a tax invoice for certain GST credit claims
Tax invoices are an essential element of Australia’s taxation system, and serve both to collect taxation revenue related to the goods and services on which GST is levied as well as record the credits that are claimable by eligible businesses. A business registered for...
Staff training costs deductible, but beware FBT
One of the recognised keys to business success is having knowledgeable, efficient and well-trained staff. But it is not always possible (or is indeed rare) to have potential staff walk in off the street who are a 100% perfect fit. People employed at any business will...
Deductions for donations
As most of us know, donations of $2 or more are deductible, and there is flexibility in the rules around donating to emergency relief bodies in that no receipt is required if giving less than $10 (so called “bucket” donations). To be able to claim a tax deduction for...
The tax deductions available for interest, dividends and other investment income
The tax rules allow investing taxpayers to claim some deductions related to some of the expenses and costs that are generated when earning interest, receiving dividends or gaining other investment income. Remember, interest from a bank or other financial institution...
Single touch payroll rollout for smaller employers
A major change in the way employers report the tax and super information for their employees to the ATO has been on the way for a while now. The single touch payroll (STP) system started to be rolled out gradually from 1 July 2018 for what the ATO refers to as...
The approach to tax when you’re working from home
If you produce assessable income at home, or some of it, and you incur expenses from using that home as your “office” or “workshop”, the ATO will generally allow that a taxpayer could be in a position to be able to claim some expenses and make some deductions....
When valuations of property are important for tax
There are times when getting a valuation becomes necessary, especially to estimate the cost of transactions that are not arm’s-length or when no actual cash changes hands. A common example of this is in respect of property, and especially for transactions when a...
Rental travel expenses mostly off the table
The ATO recently highlighted significant non-compliance with the rules prohibiting taxpayers claiming travel expenses related to residential rental properties. Late last calendar year, the ATO revealed that it had identified 26,000 taxpayers who had incorrectly...
The new “consumer” rules for GST and online purchases
Australians have been taking full advantage of the offerings on the digital marketplace with gusto for years now, but it has only been relatively recently that the rules for goods and services tax (GST) have caught up. With the purchase of digital products such as the...