Professionals

NSW Home Affordability Measures The NSW Government has announced a number of measures designed to improve housing affordability across NSW from 1 July 2017. Some of changes in the housing affordability package will affect foreign residents purchasing residential property in NSW. Stamp Duty Surcharge Increases: Foreign residents already pay a 4% surcharge on stamp duty. This will double to 8%.... Read more

            One taxation strategy is to prepay the interest on a loan for the next 12 months and claim a tax deduction in the current financial year. Prepaying interest is a way of bringing forward a tax saving that would have been claimed the next financial year. The maximum prepayment period allowed is 12 months The... Read more

With the EOFY just days away it’s time to get your tax affairs in order. Here are our top 10 tax planning tips to get you started. 1. Small Business Assets Now might be a great time to purchase a new computer or work car. The 2017 Federal budget gave small businesses (with a turnover less than $10 million) a 12-month... Read more

  Changes to the superannuation rules will come into effect on 1 July 2017. Hopefully you have already received comprehensive financial advice to ensure you are ready for the many changes from July 1, including the significant $1.6 million cap on tax-free superannuation. Here’s some final steps you can take, where appropriate to your individual circumstances, before 30 June to... Read more

Each year it is fascinating to observe how the Budget is received. Most commentators subjectively assess the Treasurer’s efforts by how they, or their interest group, is expected to be impacted. But is it possible to assess a budget more objectively? According to the stock market and rating agencies the Treasurer has done a reasonably good job. The ASX is... Read more

Super Changes #1: New Cap on Tax-Free Super From 1 July 2017, the Government will introduce a $1.6 million cap on the total amount of superannuation that can be transferred into a tax-free retirement account. Superannuation Balance Greater than $1.6 million? If you are planning to retire after July 2017 and you have a superannuation balance greater than $1.6 million... Read more

Late last year a number of superannuation changes passed parliament and take effect from 1 July 2017. These changes are likely to significantly impact a number of our clients, particularly; Individuals in Transition-to-Retirement, Retirees with more than $1.6 million in superannuation already, Individuals under 65, with significant assets outside superannuation who have not triggered the 3-year NCC bring-forward rule in... Read more

Employers are entitled to discipline employees for certain out-of-hours conduct. Social media has changed our communication norms. Whilst sometimes these communications resemble ‘word of mouth’ conversations, they are set out in written form, in many cases for the world (and employers) to see. Social media interactions made outside work on personal accounts can have a significant impact on the employment... Read more

There has been an increase in demand for investment bonds in Australia as clients are seeking tax-effective strategies besides superannuation and corporate structures. An investment bond (or insurance bond) is an efficient long-term savings vehicle which operates similarly to a managed fund, where investors can choose from a range of investment options to suit their risk appetite and objectives, but... Read more

Special Professional Income Averaging (SPIA) allows individuals in certain professions to average their income over a four-year rolling period. SPIA is likely to result in lower tax rates for special professionals whose income tends to rise and fall. This concessionary tax treatment ensures an individual is not paying additional tax due to the irregular nature of their work or income.... Read more