If your business is one of many that received the initial cash flow boosts as a part of the government’s COVID-19 economic stimulus measures, prepare for more help coming your way. When you lodge your monthly or quarterly activity statements for June to September 2020, your business will receive additional cash flow boosts.

The ATO has recently released a guideline which provides a transitional compliance approach for complying super funds including SMSFs concerning the application of provisions in relation to certain non-arm’s length expenditure (or where expenditure is not incurred) in gaining or producing ordinary or statutory income.

In Australia, there are approximately 5,000 high wealth private groups encompassing 9,000 individuals and 18,000 companies, whilst providing employment for around 780,000 people. 

As May unfolded, hopes grew of economic re-opening, below is a video to assist you to stay up to date with the latest indicators.

With the Federal government planning to ramp up infrastructure spending to get the economy going with “nation building” projects, the opportunity is ripe for businesses to take full advantage and tender for these contracts. Before you dive into writing your tender, you should be aware that any contracts over $4m (including GST) will require your business to obtain a statement of tax record (STR) from the ATO.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s knock-on effect on the economy has meant that many landlords are feeling the strain as their tenants seek to delay paying rent or reducing rent in response to job loss. To reduce the uncertainty for landlords, the ATO has provided some guidance on the deductibility of certain expenses in various situations including guidance for those that own short-term accommodation.

The ATO has released its practical administrative approach to businesses claiming the JobKeeper payment. Generally, it notes that it would only apply compliance resources to what would amount to a “scheme” in terms of the entity and its external operating environment.

COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on a global scale, causing almost every country around the world to lockdown their population and close their borders. This has drastically affected international travel and movement across borders, which is causing unintended consequences for individuals that are not Australian residents for tax purposes.

As a part of the government’s coronavirus economic response package, a provision was inserted into the Corporations Act 2001 to provide temporary relief (safe habour) for directors of financially distressed business from potential personal liability for insolvent trading. This was designed to counter the pressure on boards and directors to make quick decisions to enter into an insolvency process to mitigate the risks of insolvent trading during this economic downturn.

If your business is one of the tens of thousands of businesses to register for the JobKeeper payment early, there’s good news, claims for the payment is now open. There are a few steps involved in claiming, so make sure you have all the relevant documents and supporting information before you start.