Our latest insights

COVID-19 has significantly reduced the number of shoppers that are visiting Australian shopping centres for reasons other than to shop for food and other essential items that will allow them to maintain social distance, and if necessary, self-isolate for a period of time.

This month, ‘Safe Harbour’ legislation was passed offering protection to directors from insolvent trading exposure. Is this the big reform Australia that will encourage entrepreneurship and provide a platform to protect (or “harbour”) business value?

As part of the program to combat illegal phoenixing, the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (“GST Act”) and the Tax Administration Act 1953 (“TA Act”) have recently been amended.

With the recent Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry and the current Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, whistleblowing is likely to increase. New laws encourage and protect whistleblowing but are companies ready for this?

Following on from the alert last week, it has become increasingly clear how complicated the differing surcharge rules are making the establishment and administration of discretionary and testamentary trusts.

Australian tax incentive assisting Early Stage Innovation Companies (ESICs) attract funding

The Queensland Government has revealed its intentions to expand the application of mandatory PBAs, and proposed timeframes for the roll-out of Project Bank Accounts (PBAs).

2019 has been an interesting and challenging year for businesses, both large and small. As well as grappling with a weakening economy and an unsettled global trading environment, one consistent theme that stands out in Australia is an increased focus on employment tax compliance, with a raft of law changes, audit activity and landmark cases.

All organisations are grappling with the myriad of employee agreements and obligations that result in a wide variety of payments to their people.

In a world where a company’s tax payments (or lack thereof) are under increasing scrutiny, both the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Australian Accounting Standard Board are now enforcing new reporting obligations that will see companies disclose their “uncertain” tax positions in their annual tax returns and financial statements.

Legislation seeking to deny a deduction for the costs of holding Vacant Land (Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2019) has been amended by the Senate and subsequently approved by the House of Representatives on 22 October 2019.

We have seen many examples of taxpayers incorrectly claiming exemptions or unaware that their innocuous discretionary trust or testamentary trust is a “foreign person”. Land tax exemptions are based on self-assessment and many people and companies will believe they have self-assessed appropriately, but the exemptions can be complex and confusing, and they may not technically qualify.