Keeping You Up To Date

What does the Federal Budget mean for me? Treasurer Jim Chalmers has high hopes that his 2024 Federal Budget will rein in inflation earlier than expected, ease cost-of-living pressures and build a stronger economy in the future. It’s a Budget for the here and now, he says, but also for the decades to come. More than $8.4 billion has been allocated to quick-fix cost-of-living adjustments along with the previously announced Stage 3 tax cuts and the waiving of $3 billion in student debt...

New Increased Super Contribution Caps As the end of financial year gets closer, some investors are thinking about the most effective ways to boost their super balance, particularly with an increase in the caps on contributions from 1 July. The concessional contributions cap, which is the maximum in before-tax contributions you can add to your super each year without paying extra tax, is increasing to $30,000 from $27,500 in the new financial year.i The cap increases in line with average we...

Understanding the new $3m super tax The much-debated tax on superannuation balances over $3 million is inching closer and those who may be affected should ensure they have considered the implications. Although it is not yet law, the Division 296 tax should be taken into account when it comes to investment strategy and planning, particularly in relation to any end-of-financial-year contributions into super. Tax for higher account balances The new tax follows a Federal Government annou...

Investing successfully and improving your investment portfolio can be as much about minimising mistakes as trying to pick the ‘next big thing’. It’s all about taking a calm and considered approach and not blindly following trends or hot tips. Let's delve into some of the most prevalent investment mistakes and look at the principles that underpin a robust and successful portfolio. Chasing hot and trending shares Every so often there are industries or shares that are al...

Making Sure Your Deductions Don't Get Personal It can be easy to overlook your personal use of business assets when it comes to completing your business and self managed super fund tax returns but be warned, the ATO is taking an interest in this area. The ATO’s Small Business Random Enquiry Program found around 16 per cent of small businesses were either carelessly or deliberately overclaiming expenses in their tax returns. If business assets are used for a mix of business and pr...