Single Touch Payroll – what does it mean?
Businesses used to report this information to the Australian Taxation Office (“ATO”) once a year. Now, they need to send a report after each pay day. And those reports must be submitted digitally, using a very specific format. Changes to when you report payroll Small businesses used to finalise their payroll records at the end […]
Investment of company funds in Hybrid Trusts
The Australian Taxation Office (“ATO”) has recently removed from its website legal database the edited text of a private ruling regarding the investment of surplus funds of a private company into a hybrid unit trust. It is unsurprising that the ruling has been removed, since the ATO had months earlier added the rider at the […]
Exemptions for Work Christmas Parties
It’s not quite Christmas time yet, but most businesses will be in the process of thinking ahead to the yuletide festivities, if not already into well-advanced planning. One of the perennial questions is if and how fringe benefits tax applies to these activities. There is no separate fringe benefits tax (FBT) category for Christmas parties […]
Illegal Phoenixing
With high-profile cases of illegal phoenix activity back in the news, new funding to crack down on the practice and the establishment of a cross-agency anti-Phoenix taskforce, the obligation of professional advisors to not participate in suspected phoenixing is clear. Where professionals see illegal phoenixing behaviour, there are moral and ethical expectations to report it […]
Controlling your superannuation
How to Control Your Superannuation Most people want to take control of their superannuation. There are a few things you can do for making the most of your super. Minimise your super fees The first thing you can do is look at minimising your super fees. It is estimated that 20% of Australian’s pay more […]
What is Division 7A? A basic explanation
Division 7A only applies to private companies, all loans, advances and other credits made by private companies to shareholders (or their associates), and so is highly relevant in the SME market. This is an area of high risk for the ATO. Craig Dangar notes that this is an area of concern for many businesses, especially […]
Basics of Testamentary Trusts
A testamentary trust can save you or your beneficiaries a lot of money when it comes to tax. They are usually used to protect assets. A testamentary trust is created by a will in order to provide a higher level of control over the distribution of assets to beneficiaries. The main benefit of a testamentary […]
Our Services – Estate Planning
The team at C&D offer a comprehensive taxation based estate planning advisory structure, working closely with our external professional legal firms to supply a comprehensive service. Global analytic view We work without our accounting partners to examine the overall position and determine the taxation outcome before delving into the estate planning process. We look at […]
Basics of trusts
What is a trust? This is probably the most misunderstood aspect of trusts. A frequently held, but erroneous view, is that a trust is a legal entity or person, like a company or an individual. A trust is not a separate legal entity or person at all – it is essentially a relationship that is […]
Family succession planning for business owners
For many business owners, the objective is to pass a profitable and successful business through to the next generation, but this is not something that simply happens and the planning you undertake for a business sale should be similar to transferring a business within the family group. If you are a business owner, you may […]
