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Understanding Payroll Tax Grouping Provisions

It is often assumed that payroll tax grouping only applies in the context of related parties.  While this may serve as a starting point in considering grouping matters, recent court decisions have shown how easily companies and trusts which are not commonly owned can...

Watch Out for Certain Trust Issues

In addition to tax issues, there are several practical issues that need to be considered when dealing with trusts. Unpaid distributions are an asset It is important to recognise that unpaid distributions are an asset in the hands of the beneficiary. While...

Peer to Peer Car Sharing

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has recently updated their website to advise and/or remind taxpayers that when they rent, hire or share their car through a ‘peer to peer’ car sharing platform (i.e., such as Car Next Door, Carhood or DriveMyCar Rentals,) they may:...

What is a Blind Trust?

This special type of trust has numerous meanings. In the UK and other parts of the world, a blind trust operates like any other trust but the beneficiary of the trust has no knowledge of what assets are kept within the trust. In Australia, a blind trust is the term...

Taxpayer Denied Deductions for Share Losses

The Federal Court has in Greig v FCT held that a taxpayer was not entitled to a deduction under S.8-1 of the ITAA 1997 for share losses and legal fees. Facts On the advice of his financial advisers, the taxpayer (Mr Greig) spent many millions of dollars on share...

What does the China/US trade war mean to Australia?

As the bilateral trade war between the US and China heats up, we look at what this might mean to Australia caught between its cultural and military ties to the US and its strong economic relationship with China. In 2017, the US imported well over $500bn worth of...