From 6 December 2023, employers can no longer employ an employee on a fixed-term contract that: The changes were introduced as part of the Pay secrecy, job ads and flexible work amendments. See the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website for more details. Note: The material and contents provided in this publication are informative in nature only. It is not intended to…
What happens when a trust appoints income to a private company beneficiary but does not actually make the payment? The tax treatment of this unpaid amount was at the centre of a recent case before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) that saw a taxpayer successfully challenge the ATO’s long held position (Bendel and Commissioner of Taxation [2023] AATA 3074). For…
Legislation currently being debated in Parliament will introduce a new criminal offence for intentional “wage theft”. If enacted, in addition to the criminal offence, a fine will apply. The fine is three times the underpayment and: The reforms are not intended to capture unintentional mistakes and a compliance ‘safe harbour’ will be introduced by the Fair Work Ombudsman for small…
Property investors that choose to utilise their property for short-term stays (or leave it vacant) are firmly in the sights of the regulators. The Victorian Government’s recent Housing Statement announced Australia’s first short-stay property tax. The additional tax, which is scheduled to come into effect from 1 January 2025, is expected to generate $70 million plus annually. The Short Stay…
The tax implications and pitfalls of small-scale subdivisions You’ve got a block of land that’s perfect for a subdivision. The details have all been worked out with Council, the builders, and the bank. But, one important aspect has been left out; the tax implications. Many small-scale developers often assume that their tax exposure is minimal – but this is not…
What is the end game for your business? Succession is not just a topic for a TV series or billionaire families, it’s about successfully transitioning your business and maximising its capital value for you, the owners. When it comes to generational succession of a family business, there are a few important aspects: For generational succession to succeed, even if that…
The digital games and interactive entertainment sector is the largest creative sector in the world and one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. The global digital games industry is worth around $250 billion and in Australia, grew 22% between 2020 and 2021 generating $226.5 million in income and employing over 1,300 fulltime workers. And, it’s an industry the Government wants…
The 120% skills and training, and technology costs deduction for small and medium business have passed Parliament. We’ll show you how to take maximise your deductions. Almost a year after the 2022-23 Federal Budget announcement, the 120% tax deduction for expenditure by small and medium businesses (SME) on technology, or skills and training for their staff, is finally law. But…
For employers, incorrectly calculating wages is not portrayed as a mistake, it’s “wage theft.” Beyond the reputational issues of getting it wrong, the Fair Work Commission backs it up with fines of $9,390 per breach for a corporation. In 2021-22 alone, the Fair Work Ombudsman recovered $532 million in unpaid wages recovered for over 384,000 workers. On 1 July 2023,…