Crackdown on cash economy

The ATO is cracking down on businesses that operate off the books in order to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, also known as operating within the black, underground or cash economy. Businesses are known to use a wide range of strategies to skirt their tax responsibilities. This may include underreporting takings and paying…

Super guarantee frozen

Over the past week, the government has confirmed its decision to freeze the compulsory superannuation guarantee at 9.5% for the next seven years. It will rise to 10% in 2021 and then increase incrementally before plateauing at 12% in 2025. Previous to this, the superannuation guarantee was planned to reach 12% by the 2019/20 financial…

Using the CGT discount

A capital gain is a profit made from the sale of an asset, for example, real estate investments (the family home is exempt), a business or shares. Your capital gain is calculated as the difference between what you paid for the asset and what you eventually sold it for. A capital gain is considered by…