Unfair Terms in a Standard Form Contract

Unfair Terms in a Standard Form Contract

As a business owner, you probably enter into contracts every day. Contracts are crucial as they document and govern the relationship between your business and various parties. It is common to offer the parties you interact with the same or similar contracts. These are...
Too many businesses roll the dice on tax debt: Jordan

Too many businesses roll the dice on tax debt: Jordan

Profitable companies that choose to relegate their tax and super obligations will be a focus of the ATO’s crackdown on collectable debt, Commissioner says. . Too many businesses “roll the dice” on tax liabilities and treat them like a free loan, ATO Commissioner Chris...
High deposit rates, but the case for equities is strong

High deposit rates, but the case for equities is strong

Investors can currently lock in attractive term deposit rates, however equities are still likely to outperform cash over the longer term. . Australia’s headline inflation rate is trending lower as higher interest rates continue to dampen consumer demand. That’s...
Revised NALE rules ‘miss chance to clarify SMSF bugbear

Revised NALE rules ‘miss chance to clarify SMSF bugbear

The ATO will need to help trustees work out when an arrangement is internal to the fund for the purposes of non-arm’s length expense rules, says the NTAA.     . The NTAA says imminent rule changes for super fund non-arm’s length expenses (NALE) fail to clarify a...
6 simple rules will ensure a deed can be executed in all states

6 simple rules will ensure a deed can be executed in all states

There are six simple rules that will ensure a deed is executed properly in every Australian state, says a leading superannuation legal consultant.   . Bryce Figot, special counsel for DBA Lawyers, said each Australian jurisdiction has its own laws that govern the...
Our investment and economic outlook, September 2023

Our investment and economic outlook, September 2023

Read our region-by-region economic outlook and latest forecasts for investment returns. . Over decades, U.S. fiscal and monetary policies have mostly travelled in the same direction, toward either more restrictive (tighter) or less restrictive (looser) financial...
The benefits and risks of collectable super assets

The benefits and risks of collectable super assets

While owning collectable and personal use assets inside a SMSF may sound appealing, there’s a big catch. . In the grander scheme of the $889.5 billion in assets controlled by self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) in Australia, $591 million is sort of a drop in the...
Average ATO refund tumbles $430 compared to last July

Average ATO refund tumbles $430 compared to last July

  Fewer taxpayers have raced to file an early return and the total paid out in refunds is already down by $1.7 billion.     The average refund for early tax return lodgers has dropped by more than $430 compared with last year and the total amount issued has fallen by...
Penalty amnesty tempts 7,000 small businesses back into tax system

Penalty amnesty tempts 7,000 small businesses back into tax system

  UPDATED: This budget measure waives fines for late lodgment of income, BAS and FBT returns due during the pandemic.     An amnesty on failure-to-lodge penalties for small business has tempted more than 7,000 small businesses to file almost 20,000 returns in the...