Trust distribution landscape now more settled If you carry on your business affairs through a trust structure, there is now more clarity around the law on distributions following much uncertainty throughout the year. N either the taxpayer, Mr. Springer, nor the Commissioner has appealed against the Full Federal Court decision handed down in January 2023

Reducing the risk of crypto scams ASIC has released fresh and timely information around crypto scams. Scammers use cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin or ether, because they are not easily recovered. Crypto can be sent overseas quickly with limited oversight. If you lose your money to a crypto scam,your money is likely gone. If you buy crypto,

Super teething issues Last year 9,700 individuals applied for compassionate release of super for dental treatment expenses, and 82% were approved. Out of those approved, 9% were for a dependent child’s dental treatment, which could include braces. What is the pathway for access? While normally superannuation must be preserved for retirement, there are limited exceptions.

PAYG instalment variations The ATO is encouraging accountants to educate clients around varying PAYG instalments – this can potentially assist cashflow. To recap, PAYG (pay-as-you-go) instalments allow business taxpayers to make regular prepayments towards the tax on their business and investment income. This is in contrast to salary and wages earners who already make prepayments

Legislating the purpose of superannuation On 20 February 2023, Treasury released a consultation paper on legislating the purpose of superannuation. This is an idea that has been around since 2016 when the former Coalition government contemplated doing the same thing. T he government says that legislating an objective of superannuation will provide stability and confidence

FBT and car logbooks With the end of the FBT year approaching, are your car logbooks in order? The operating cost method is used by many employers to calculate their car FBT liability. This method is particularly effective where the business use of the vehicle is high. Keeping a logbook is essential to use the

Can you use your SMSF property upon retirement? Many SMSF trustees wonder if they can live in their SMSF property once they retire. This is a common question particularly as property is such a popular SMSF investment. However, despite superannuation being your own money, there are certain rules around accessing your superannuation which prohibit you