SMSFs: beware of illegal early super release

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) is reminding self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustees to beware of allowing members to access their super early. A self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustee must meet a condition of release before any funds can legally be released. The ATO can issue severe penalties if you or a SMSF member access your…

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Penalty relief for taxpayers

From 1 July 2018, the Tax Office is advising Australians that if they find an error in their tax return or activity statement they will not incur a penalty but will advise of the error and how to get it right next time. Penalty relief will only apply to eligible taxpayers or entities (i.e., turnover…

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Building a solid startup

It is no secret that most startups will fail in their first three years of operation, so building a new business that can not only survive but thrive in the face of a challenge is of the utmost importance. Ensuring your business is strong enough to move past any inevitable hitches that come its way…

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ASIC’s view on SMSFs as ‘one-stop property shops’

The Australian Securities Investment Commission (ASIC) has released a new report highlighting its view on the setup of SMSFs for property investments using ‘one-stop shop’ models. ‘One-stop shop models’ tend to promote the purchase of residential property through SMSF borrowing. They are usually arranged by groups of real estate agents, developers, mortgage brokers, financial advisers…

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Avoid these five common Tax Time mistakes

Tax Time is now upon us, with the ATO Assistant Commissioner announcing the top five mistakes commonly made when Australians complete their annual tax returns. Common mistakes some taxpayers are making include: – Leaving out a portion of their earnings, i.e., forgetting to include a job – income from a temp job, or income earned…

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