News Updates

November was an extraordinary month for the global and local economy. Early indications are that swift action by the government and the RBA have limited the impact of the COVID recession. 

There are a lot more of us working from home now more than ever before. So, can you claim all or some of the additional costs off your tax? There are 3 options for claiming working from home expenses. The question of whether it’s all or some depends on the method chosen.

In the 2020 Federal Budget, the government announced that it intended to make technical amendments to clarify the corporate residency test. While the government has not provided further details, the Board of Taxation has recently released its review of corporate tax residency, the details of which appear to be consistent with the government’s intentions. This report contains more information on various aspect of the government’s announcement including the concept of sufficient economic connection.

The Government has released details of what it calls its “JobMaker” hiring scheme. It will take the form of a payment to employers for each new job they create over the next 12 months. It is estimated that the scheme will cost $4 billion and support about 450,000 employees. So it could help a lot of businesses and there is quite a bit of money up for grabs – up to $200 for each “new” employee each week!

After a lifetime of working, are the green pastures of retirement calling? Perhaps you’re not sure whether you’d like to retire permanently and enjoy doing part-time or casual work? If that sounds like you, then you may like to consider a transition to retirement pension as a way to access your super without having to leave your job or retire.

The government has recently reintroduced a Bill to Parliament that proposes to increase the maximum number of allowable members from 4 to 6. The contents of the Bill were previously contained in the 2018-19 Budget and introduced into Parliament before being unceremoniously dropped due to lack to support from the Opposition at that time.

With the country officially in recession, the ATO is getting ready to help businesses that are struggling due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. It expects that for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 years, many businesses that ordinarily turn a profit may be making a loss, and for some businesses it may be the first time that they are making a loss.

Building a bridge to recovery

In what has been billed as one of the most important budgets since the Great Depression, and the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic dragged Australia into its first recession in almost 30 years, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the next phase of the journey is to secure Australia’s future.

On October 6th the Government will outline one of the most important Federal Budgets in living memory.