It is very often the case that unpaid debts owed to a business can have a significant impact on cash flow and the ongoing profitability of a business. In a taxation context the characterisation of a particular debt as either “doubtful” or “bad” is key as to whether or not the writing off of that...

Access the Wallace Partners Client Information Newsletter December 2017 below: Wallace Partners CIN December 2017

Whether a sale of property is subject to GST will be dependent on a number of factors. The sale of real property must be made in the course or furtherance of an enterprise before it is brought into the GST system. One way to explain the relevant considerations is through an example: Alan, a sole...

The superannuation rules stipulate that an employee’s earnings base must be the amount on which minimum superannuation contributions are payable to avoid the superannuation guarantee charge (SGC). This earnings base is determined as “ordinary time earnings” (OTE). In general terms, this seems self-explanatory — that is, OTE is what an employee earns for their day-to-day...

Limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBAs) were once all the rage in SMSF land. However, with the tightening of banking rules this frenzy has begun to abate somewhat over the last few years. LRBAs are great in a growing market as they allow an SMSF to grow the value of assets it holds in the expectation...

A novated lease is a popular way for employers to reward and incentivise their staff. Through a salary sacrifice arrangement that includes a novated lease, employees are provided with a vehicle and can also reduce their personal tax liability. However, employees should understand how fringe benefits tax (FBT) might apply to their arrangement and what...

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is committed to educating taxpayers on how to protect themselves against tax scams and identity theft. It says that up to the end of last financial year, $2.7 million was handed over to fraudsters, with about 2,500 individuals providing some sort of personal information to scammers, including tax file numbers....

Below is a list of tips from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) that should help rental property owners avoid what it has found are the 10 most common tax errors made by rental property investors. The ATO says that avoiding these tax mistakes will save many taxpayers both time and money. 1. Claiming the right...

As a tax concept, “entertainment” can be relevant not only to fringe benefits tax (FBT), but also to income tax and even goods and services tax (GST). For a business, whether a business expense is “entertainment” will generally also determine whether the cost is deductible. If the expenditure can be shown to be directly connected...

A profit that arises from the carrying out of a profit-making undertaking or plan (that is, one with a profit-making intention) will be assessable as statutory income where the proceeds of the profit-making undertaking or plan are not otherwise assessable as ordinary income. Any capital profit on the disposal of assets acquired before 20 September...