Positives and negatives of gearing Negatively gearing an investment property is viewed by many Australians as a tax effective way to get ahead. According to Treasury, more than 1.9 million people earned rental income in 2012-13 and of those about 1.3 million reported a net rental loss. So it was no surprise that many people were worried about how they would be affected if Labor had won the May 2019 federal election and negative gearing was phased out as they had proposed. With the Coali...

With the uncertainty of the federal election now out of the way, we can look forward to some significant reforms to Australia's existing tax system. The Morrison Government went into the election with a comprehensive suite of tax proposals and these are now likely to pass swiftly through Parliament, as the Opposition has indicated it will support the legislation. So just what are the changes we are likely to see when it comes to both our personal tax and the taxes that apply to small ...

What could change for taxpayers after the Federal Election? With the Federal election only weeks away, both major parties have set out their plans for taxation of superannuation, especially as it relates to SMSFs.  There are also new taxation plans for individuals and trusts.  But it can be hard to wade through all the policy speeches and interviews, so here is a quick summary of the current law and the possible changes to come after the election: Comparison of policy areas...

February 2019 Review - Markets continue strong recovery
The share market recovery experienced in January picked up further pace in February with leading indices across the globe recording solid gains. Some of the notable developments for the month included: Positive sentiment stemming from the hope of a trade agreement between the US and China Global bond yields remained steady, while Australian yields fell The benign outlook for interest rates supported listed infrastructu...

Investment Implications of franking credit changes. The proposed changes announced by the Federal Opposition to the way franking credits operate will have significant implications for some investors; but will have little to no impact for the majority of investors. Under the existing framework, franking credits exist to ensure that the dividends paid by companies to shareholders are effectively taxed at the marginal rate of the shareholder. As such, credits are passed through to the shar...