The Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan) Bill 2016 was introduced in the House of Reps, on Thursday 1.9.2016. It contains the following proposed amendments.

Corporate Tax Rate Reduction – 27.5% for SBE’s and 25% for all in 11 years

The Bill proposes to amend the Income Tax Rates Act 1986 to reduce the corporate tax rate to 27.5% for the 2016-17 income year for corporate tax entities that are small business entities, that is, corporate tax entities that carry on a business and have an aggregated turnover of less than $10 million.

This lower corporate tax rate will progressively be extended to all corporate tax entities by the 2023-24 income year.

The corporate tax rate would then be cut (for all corporate entities) to:

  • 27% for the 2024-25 income year;
  • 26% for the 2025-26 income year; and
  • 25% for the 2026-27 income year and later income years.

Small Business Entity turnover threshold increased to $10m, except for …

The Bill proposes to amend the ITAA 1997 to increase the aggregated turnover threshold for access to small business tax concessions to $10 million, but:

  • The aggregated turnover threshold for access to the small business income tax offset will be limited to $5 million.
  • The current aggregated turnover threshold of $2 million will be retained for the small business CGT concessions.

Date of effect: The new thresholds would apply from the 2016-17 income year.

The new threshold for the car-parking FBT exemption (in s58GA of the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986) would apply from the FBT year commencing on 1 April 2017.

Tax Discount for Unincorporated Small Businesses

The Bill proposes to amend the ITAA 1997 to increase the small business income tax offset to 16% of net small business income by the 2026-27 income year. In the 2025-26 income year and earlier income years, a lower rate of offset would apply:

  • For the 2016-17 to 2023-24 income years, the offset would be 8% of net small business income.
  • For the 2024-25 income year, the offset would be 10% of net small business income.
  • For the 2025-26 income year, the offset would be 13% of net small business income.

[APH website – Bill Tracker] [APH – Bill] [APH – EM] [LTN 169, 1/9/16]

Bill referred to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee

The Bill was referred to the committee on 15.9.16 for report by 10.10.16.

[APH website – Bills Digest] [LTN 179, 15/9/16]