Australian Government's Stimulus Package
Rudd Hannay Accountants • March 9, 2020
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When a person writes a will they usually leave their assets to their children – and usually in equal shares. And when they first write their will their children may be young – and they may also be relatively young when they later update it.
A fantastic way to grow your retirement savings and shrink your tax bill is through concessional contributions (CCs) to super. But more is not always better and like Goldilocks and her porridge, it pays to get things just right.
It’s pretty well-known that a foreign resident (for tax purposes) cannot get a CGT exemption for a main residence (if they are a foreign resident at the time they entered the contract of sale).
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has recently revised its guidance on differentiating between employees and independent contractors. This change follows several court rulings that clarified the criteria for determining whether a worker is genuinely an employee or an independent contractor.
Thinking about easing into retirement but still need a steady income? Want to trim your tax bill while growing your super? Or maybe you'd love to knock down some debt before you stop working? If you are 60 or over, you can do just that.
If you're selling property in Australia and you're a foreign resident, there are important tax rules you need to know. Recent changes mean that buyers must withhold 15% of the property’s market value and pay it to the ATO, unless the seller provides a residency clearance certificate.
You may have read about a recent court decision affecting some family trusts. In a case called Bendel, published on 19 February 2025, the Full Federal Court unanimously held that the private company beneficiary of a discretionary trust has not made a “loan” or “financial accommodation” to the trust merely by not calling for the payment of its trust distribution.
When it comes to inheritances, one key fact to understand is that Australia has no death duties – meaning there are no taxes on a deceased person’s estate based on the value of their assets at the time of death.
Congratulations! Your investment has done well, and you’re cashing in. You’re happy, and so too is the ATO. That substantial capital gain has brought wealth and a hefty tax bill.
Did you know that if you own an asset (eg, land or a factory or even a trademark) that someone else uses in carrying on a small business then you might be entitled to the CGT small business concessions when you sell the asset? And these concessions can either entirely or partially eliminate any capital gain you make on selling it (or at least defer it).