Preparing for the FBT year-end

With the fringe benefits tax (FBT) year ending 31 March 2017, now is the time for business owners to get their FBT affairs sorted. When calculating FBT liability, employers must gross-up the taxable value of benefits provided to reflect the gross salary employees would need to earn at the highest marginal tax rate (including Medicare…

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Tips for successful networking

Whether you are looking to make new contacts in your industry or searching for your dream job; networking is essential to forming new relationships and expanding your connections. Here are three ways to improve your networking skills: Listen Networking is all about building relationships. One of the best ways to establish a connection faster is…

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Transitional CGT relief for SMSFs

Self-managed super funds can access Capital Gains Tax (CGT) relief to provide temporary relief from certain capital gains that might arise as a result of individuals complying with the transfer balance cap, and Transition to Retirement Income Stream (TRIS) reforms, commencing on 1 July 2017. The transitional CGT relief is designed to preserve the income…

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Easier GST reporting for food retailers

Many small food retailers buy and sell products that are both taxable and GST-free. Depending on the point-of-sale equipment used, identifying and recording these sales can be difficult for business owners. The ATO has introduced a series of simplified accounting methods (SAMs) to make it easier to account for GST and work out the amount…

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Understanding financial ratios

Financial ratios are useful tools for business owners to monitor, analyse and improve their business performance. A financial ratio contains one or more financial figures and is expressed as a ratio, rate or percentage. Financial ratios are used to measure profitability, cash flow and liquidity, risk and return, and stock turnover and sales. Here are…

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Acting on customer feedback

Customer feedback is a great learning source for any business looking to improve their competitive edge. But actually acting upon this feedback is the most important, an often neglected next step. Feedback from customers is a valuable asset for many businesses. It provides them with customer insights which can assist in improving services, products and…

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Understanding death benefits under the new transfer balance cap

The introduction of a $1.6 million transfer balance cap for superannuation will take effect from 1 July 2017 which is likely to impact fund members who collectively with their spouse exceed $1.6 million in super. When an individual with a super account dies, the trustee of the super fund will generally pay the deceased’s remaining…

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Preparing for contribution cap changes

From 1 July 2017, many of the 2016 Federal Budget super reforms will take place, including the reduction of both the annual concessional and non-concessional contribution caps. Concessional contributions Concessional contributions include employer contributions and salary sacrifice amounts. Personal contributions claimed as a personal super contribution deduction also count as concessional contributions. The concessional (pre-tax)…

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