AAT rejects taxpayer’s claims for work-related expenses
Work-Related Deductions Denied AAT Rejects Taxpayer’s Expense Claims Lack of evidence and use of company vehicles led the AAT to disallow nearly $10,000 in work-related deductions for a traffic controller. In a recent decision, a taxpayer’s claims for various work-related expenses were rejected by the AAT. The taxpayer was employed as a traffic controller in […]
FBT on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
Changes to FBT Exemptions for Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles Starting April 2025 Employers must have binding agreements in place to retain FBT exemptions for PHEVs, with new restrictions on eligibility for electric car exemptions. From 1 April 2025, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (‘PHEV’) will not be considered a zero or low emissions vehicle under fringe […]
Taxpayers can start lodging their tax returns
Streamlined Tax Lodgment: ATO Pre-Filled Data Simplifies the Process Ensure Accurate Deduction Claims and Stay Informed of Changing Rules With millions of pieces of information now pre-filled (including information from most banks, employers, government agencies and private health insurers), the ATO is giving taxpayers with simple affairs the ‘green light’ to lodge their tax returns. […]
Luxury car tax: determining a vehicle’s principal purpose
ATO Guidance on Determining the Principal Purpose of a Car for Luxury Car Tax (LCT) Insights into Assessing LCT Liability for Vehicles Used for Carriage of Goods versus Passengers The ATO recently explained how to determine the principal purpose of a car for ‘luxury car tax’ (‘LCT’) purposes (since LCT is not payable on the […]
Changes to deductions this tax time
Changes to deductions this tax time Taxpayers who are small business owners operating from home, or who use a vehicle for business purposes, need to be aware of some changes when claiming deductions this tax time, including the following. Cents-per-kilometre method – The cents-per-kilometre method for claiming car expenses increased from 72 cents to 78 […]
Fuel tax credit rate change 1 August
Use the correct fuel tax credit rates Rates changed on 1 July and 1 August — use the ATO’s calculator to apply the correct rates when making a claim on your BAS. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has made changes to the Fuel Tax Credit rates, impacting claiming credits for eligible fuel use. To benefit from Fuel […]
Electric vehicle home charging rates: cents per km
Draft Guidelines on Calculating Electric Vehicle Charging Costs Released by ATO Recordkeeping Requirements and Application of the EV Home Charging Rate for FBT and Income Tax Purposes The ATO recently released draft guidelines setting out a methodology for calculating the cost of electricity when an electric vehicle (‘EV’) is charged at an employee’s or individual’s […]
Electric vehicle FBT exemption now law
Legislation to make certain electric vehicles exempt from FBT enacted into law Certain zero or low emissions vehicles provided as a car benefit on or after 1 July 2022, can be exempt from fringe benefits tax (FBT). For this exemption to apply various criteria need to be satisfied. The car needs to have been both […]
2022/23 October Federal Budget
Federal Budget overview On 25 October 2022, Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down an updated 2022/23 Federal Budget, the first for the Albanese Labor Government. Key measures Certainty for unlegislated taxation and superannuation measures Digital Currency – Clarifying that digital currencies are not taxed as foreign currency Depreciation – Reverse the self-assessment of the effective life […]
Individual car expenses
ATO updates ‘cents per kilometre’ rate for individuals The ATO has updated the cents per kilometre rate relating to individual car expenses for the 2023 income year to 78 cents per business kilometre. The cents per kilometre method: uses a set rate for each kilometre travelled for business; allows taxpayers to claim a maximum of […]