Multinational ride-sharing system Uber has successfully contested six Revenue NSW payroll tax assessments totalling over $81.5 million. The assessments were issued on the basis that Uber drivers were employees and therefore payroll tax was payable. The Payroll Tax Act 2007 (NSW) imposes the tax on all taxable wages paid or payable by an employer. The
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Own an investment property or an expensive lifestyle asset like a boat or aircraft? The ATO are looking closely at these assets to see if what has been declared in tax returns matches up. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has initiated two data matching programs impacting investment property owners and those lucky enough to hold
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The main residence exemption exempts your family home from capital gains tax (CGT) when you dispose of it. But, like all things involving tax, it’s never that simple. As the character of Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle said, “it’s not a house. It’s a home,” and the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) interpretation of a main
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Click here to view PDF: NEWS UPDATE – MAY2024 Company money crackdown The ATO is cracking down on business owners who take money or use company resources for themselves. It’s common for business owners to utilise company resources for their personal use. The business is often such a part of their life that the line
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A recent case before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) highlights the importance of ensuring that the evidence supports the tax position you are taking. The case involves heritage farmland originally purchased for $1.6m that sold 7 years later for $4.25m and the GST debt that the ATO is now pursuing on the sale. In 2013,
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Warning: Redrawing investment loans The ATO estimates that incorrect reporting of rental property income and expenses is costing around $1 billion each year in forgone tax revenue. A big part of the problem is how taxpayers are claiming interest on their investment property loans. We’ve seen an uptick in ATO activity focussing on refinanced or
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30% tax on super earnings on balances above $3 million Treasury has released draft legislation for consultation to enact the Government’s plan to increase the tax rate on earnings on superannuation balances above $3m from 15% to 30% from 1 July 2025. This is the final step before the legislation is introduced into Parliament. From
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A friend’s accountant suggested that they could reduce interest on non-deductible debt by using company cash to offset their personal mortgage, then transferring the cash back by 30 June. Is this an acceptable strategy? This might initially sound like a brilliant strategy but what is really happening is that you are using company funds to
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The explosion of OnlyFans, YouTubers, TikTokers and others all offer an opportunity for ‘content creators’ to profit from the audiences they generate. But now the Tax Office has given notice to the booming industry. Back in October 2022, OnlyFans CEO Ami Gan announced that the platform had reached a milestone – paying out $10 billion
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