The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has released its performance audit report on the Costs and Benefits of the Reinventing the ATO Program. The ATO said the overall intent of the Reinventing the ATO program was to transform the ATO’s internal culture, “providing a stronger connection to the community and an openness and willingness to…
Following our announcement on 9 November 2017 on when self-managed super funds (SMSFs) need to report events affecting their members’ transfer balance, we have developed this article you can use as a quick reference guide. The ATO put out this guidance on 5 Dec 2017. Events you need to report You only need to report events…
From January 2018 the ATO will start sending Excess Transfer Balance (ETB) Determinations to individuals who have exceeded their transfer balance cap and not rectified the excess. These will generally be based on information APRA funds will have reported to the ATO. If an SMSF member receives one of these ETB Determinations, remember: If the SMSF trustee must…
On 5 Dec 2017, the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, announced that the Government will reform the administration and oversight of organisations with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Referring to the proposed reforms as ‘sensible’, she said that they will enhance the role of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission…
The Treasury Laws Amendment (2017 Measures No 3) Regulations 2017 were registered on Mon 4.12.2017 (No. 3 Regulation). They amend the main GST Regulations, to allow for ‘digital currencies’ (broadly fungible digital units of consideration that are valuable only as consideration – see actual definition below). This change is part the measure announced by the Government in…
On 13 December 2017, the Australian office of the international law firm: Ashurst, put out the following briefing. The authors were: George Cooper, Partner; James Clarke, Senior Associate; and Lucy Cameron, Graduate. What you need to know On 7 December 2017, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) Bill 2017 was tabled in Parliament. The Bill…
On 15 Dec 2017, the Tax Institute’s Senior Tax Counsel: Bob Deutsch wrote the following piece, which was included in their Tax Vine publication and also on their website (see below for further details). Also, there is ‘editorial comment’ in [square brackets]. ************* Much has been made of Donald Trump’s proposal to reduce the corporate…
On 29 Nov 2017, the NSW OSR issued Revenue Ruling G 011: Surcharge Land Tax and Duty – Residential Premises that are not Dwellings. This ruling gives guidelines to help taxpayers identify the types of premises the Chief Commissioner does, and does not, consider to be ‘dwellings’ for purposes of the following ‘surcharges’ on top of…
On 18/12/2017, the OECD released its latest edition of their Model Tax Convention.This incorporated significant changes developed under the OECD/G20 project to address base erosion and profit (BEPS). The OECD Model Tax Convention, a model for countries concluding bilateral tax conventions, plays a crucial role in removing tax related barriers to cross border trade and investment. It…
Franking credit rates also reduce, in line with the reductions in the relevant company’s reducing corporate tax rate, which is complex (see related Tax Month article). What follows is the ATO’s summary of how to calculate the company’s franking credit amount, as its corporate tax rate reduces. Calculating the maximum franking credit From the 2016–17…