News

18
Nov

Scam Alert – myID

With the ATO making the switch from myGovID to myID, they have had an increased number of scam reports. Primarily, recipients are being asked to verify their details by clicking on a link. myID will work in exactly the same way as myGovID and the transition should be smooth and seamless. There is nothing that you need to do for

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14
Nov

November Newsletter – The new definition of employee and employer

The Fair Work Commission has determined that a Philippines based “independent contractor” was an employee unfairly dismissed by her Australian employer. Like us, you are probably curious how a foreign national living in the Philippines, who had an ‘independent contractors’ agreement with an Australian company, could be classified as an Australian employee by the Fair Work Commission? The recent case

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14
Nov

November Newsletter – The changes to how tax practitioners work with clients

The Government has amended the legislation guiding registered tax practitioners to include compulsory reporting of material uncorrected errors to the Tax Commissioner. The Government has legislated a series of changes to the Tax Agents Services Act 2009 that place additional requirements on registered tax practitioners and how they interact with clients. The reforms are in response to the recommendations of

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14
Nov

November Newsletter – AAT rejects taxpayer’s claims for work-related expenses

In a recent decision, a taxpayer’s claims for various work-related expenses were rejected by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). The taxpayer was employed as a traffic controller in the 2020 income year.  In his income tax return for that year he claimed $9,800 in work-related deductions, including for car expenses (using the cents per km method), travel expenses, clothing expenses

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14
Nov

November Newsletter – FBT on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

From 1 April 2025, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (‘PHEV’) will not be considered a zero or low emissions vehicle under fringe benefits tax (‘FBT’) law and will not be eligible for the electric car FBT exemption.  However, an employer can continue to apply the electric car exemption if: use of the PHEV was exempt from FBT before 1 April

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11
Nov

It wasn’t me: the tax fraud scam

You login to your myGov account to find that your activity statements for the last 12 months have been amended and GST credits of $100k issued. But it wasn’t you. And you certainly didn’t get a $100k refund in your bank account. What happens now? In what is rapidly becoming the most common tax scam, myGov accounts are being accessed

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30
Oct

October Newsletter – ATO’s notices of data-matching programs

The ATO will acquire officeholder data from  ASIC and other bodies for the 2024 to 2027 income years, including name, address, date of birth, ABN, contact details, organisation details and officeholder details. The ATO estimates that records relating to more than 11 million individuals will be obtained. The ATO will acquire property management data from property management software companies for

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30
Oct

October Newsletter – myGovID is changing its name to myID

The digital identity app ‘myGovID’ will soon be changing its name to ‘myID’.  While the name is changing, the login and security will not change. Taxpayers who have already set up their myGovID and use it to access government online services will not need to do anything when the app changes to myID.  They will still have: the same details

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30
Oct

October Newsletter – Using ‘downsizer’ contributions to boost super

If you are aged 55 years or older, the downsizer contribution rules enable you to contribute up to $300,000 from the proceeds of the sale of your home to your superannuation fund (eligibility criteria applies). In 2023-24, over 57% of people making a ‘downsizer’ contribution to super were women. And, the average value of the contribution was marginally higher at

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30
Oct

October Newsletter – Payday Super

Payday super: the details ‘Payday super’ will overhaul the way in which superannuation guarantee is administered. We look at the first details and the impending obligations on employers. From 1 July 2026, employers will be obligated to pay superannuation guarantee (SG) on behalf of their employees on the same day as salary and wages instead of the current quarterly payment

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