Federal Budget 2024-25

On Tuesday night, 14 May 2024, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down his third Federal Budget for the Labor Government.  If anything, it was quite an underwhelming budget, leaning towards higher spending particularly over the upcoming year.  While this is the second consecutive budget surplus for the Labor Government, there is a forecast $28.3 billion deficit for the next financial year.  In fact, for the four years after the current year surplus, the forecast is for a combined deficit of $122 billion.

The economic story though is all about inflation at the moment: “When will we be rid of it?”  “And how much damage has it done along the way?”

Energy bill relief – $2.6 billion – yes it makes your electricity bills cheaper today, but will this lead to upwards inflationary pressure over the longer period?

The Government indicates inflation will be under control by Christmas 2025, but many economists and perhaps, more importantly, the RBA may not agree with that.

We would still call for more broader tax reforms including reducing state based taxes like transfer duty and payroll taxes, and replacing it will greater broad based consumption taxes (like GST).

Production tax credits and critical mining projects and fast-tracked investment processes were helpful wins for the top end of town.

We’ve outlined below some of the measures that were announced in the Budget that will impact on our clients.  As with all budgetary measures, these measures are not final until the relevant legislation has been passed by the Government.  We will keep you updated on the status of any proposed measures.

Impact for individuals

Individual income tax rates

As previously announced by the Treasurer, the Stage 3 individual income tax rates were amended to provide tax relief to all taxpayers. 

The current tax rates (to 30 June 2024) are as follows:

 

From 1 July 2024, the reduced tax rates are as follows:


The tax savings for certain income levels are as follows:

 

The last table shows the difference between the tax payable for the 2024 financial year, compared to the tax payable for the 2025 financial year and how much that translates to a weekly saving.

Energy bill relief

A $300 rebate will be applied to all Australian households towards their electricity bills.  This will be a $75 credit on each quarterly electricity bill in the 2024-25 financial year.  Eligible small businesses will receive a credit of $325.

HECS

Another measure that was announced last week was the change to the HECS indexation rate.  Currently, HECS debts are indexed each year on 1 June using the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  Given the high rates of inflation, this resulted in an indexation rate of 7.1% applied to HECS debts on 1 June 2023.

The Budget announcement is to use the lower of CPI and Wage Price Index (WPI) to index HECS debts (backdated to 1 June 2023).  This means that the 7.1% CPI indexation rate used last year will be replaced with a 3.2% WPI (and a credit applied to HECS accounts to reflect the lower indexation at 1 June 2023).

It is also forecasted for the WPI to be 4% for the 1 June 2024 indexation.

Please read our article for more information about the indexation of HECS debts and whether it is beneficial to repay some or all of your debt.

Medicare Levy Low-Income Thresholds

The Medicare Levy low-income thresholds for singles, families, seniors and pensioners will also be increased from 1 July 2023.  The family income threshold will also now be increased by $4,027 per child (up from $3,760).

Rent Assistance

The Commonwealth Rent Assistance maximum rates have been increased by 10% from 20 September 2024 to address rental affordability challenges.

Paid Parental Leave

$1.1 billion was allocated in the budget towards paying superannuation on Commonwealth Funded Paid Parental Leave for births and adoptions on or after 1 July 2025.

Impact for businesses

The Budget contained a few measures to help small businesses:

Instant asset write-off threshold extended

From 1 July 2023, the instant asset write-off threshold was due to reduce to $1,000.  Last budget, this threshold was increased to $20,000 for businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $10 million.  The increased threshold was to apply until 30 June 2024.  The announcement in this budget was to extend the $20,000 threshold to 30 June 2025.  We note that the announcement from last year’s budget (to increase the threshold to the $20,000) has still not passed by Parliament, leaving this measure uncertain as we close in on the end of the financial year.

We also note that, assets acquired for more than $20,000 can continue to be placed into the small business simplified depreciation pool and depreciated at 15% in the first year and 30% thereafter.

ATO Counter-Fraud Strategy

$187 million has been allocated to the ATO Counter Fraud Strategy, including allocating funds to:

  • Identify and block suspicious activity in real time
  • Recover lost revenue from fraud
  • Counter fraud
  • Extend the period for which the ATO can withhold GST refunds (extended from 14 days to 30 days)

ATO Tax Avoidance Taskforce

The ATO Tax Avoidance Taskforce has been extended for 2 years from 1 July 2026.  The task force pursues key tax avoidance risks from multinationals, large public and private businesses and high-wealth individuals.

Foreign Resident CGT regime

The foreign resident capital gains tax (CGT) regime will be strengthened to provide greater certainty about the operation of the rules.  The amendments will apply to CGT events on or after 1 July 2025 and will:

  • Clarify and broaden the types of assets that foreign residents are subject to CGT on
  • Amend the point-in-time principal asset test to a 365-day testing period
  • Require foreign residents disposing of shares and other membership interests exceeding $20 million to notify the ATO, prior to the transaction being executed

Supporting Small Businesses

$41.7 million has been specifically allocated to supporting small businesses, as follows:

  • $25.3 million to support the Payment Times Reporting Regulator;
  • $10.8 million to extend the Small Business Debt Helpline;
  • $3 million to implement the Government’s response to the Review of the Franchising Code of Conduct;
  • $2.6 million for the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman to support unrepresented small businesses to navigate business-to-business disputes through alternative dispute resolution.

We will keep you up-to-date with the progress of the implementation of these Budget measures.

If you would like to discuss the tax implications of the budget proposals, please call us on (07) 56656469.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, neither TJN Accountants nor any member or employee of TJN Accountants accepts any responsibility for any loss, however caused, as a result of reliance on this general information. We recommend that our formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas. The article is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information. Therefore it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without our consent.

ATO Hit List – 2024 tax returns

ATO Hit List 2024 tax returns

The ATO have released their hit-list for the 2024 tax returns – essentially, this is a list of key areas that they will be focusing on for their tax return reviews (noting that, really, all areas are subject to review):

  • Incorrectly claiming work-related expenses
  • Inflating claims for rental properties
  • Failing to include all income in your tax return

Work-related expenses

Last year the ATO changed the records that were required to be kept to claim the fixed rate working from home deduction (see more in our article here).

To claim a working from home deduction using the fixed rate method, you need to have kept the following records:

  • Diary evidence showing the total hours worked from home; and
  • Records of the additional costs you have incurred for working from home (eg. Electricity bill, internet bill).

Simply “copying and pasting” your deduction from last year will likely result in a review of your tax return.

Rental properties

The ATO have specifically identified repairs and maintenance of rental properties as one of the areas of concern.  General repairs can be claimed as a tax deduction, but expenses that are capital in nature are not deductible as repairs (these may be eligible for a depreciation deduction instead).

While not specially identified by the ATO, interest deductions are also another area where significant mistakes are made by taxpayers. 

You need to ensure you keep full and complete records to ensure so your tax return can be prepared accurately.

See our previous article for rental properties here.

Missing income

If you rush to lodge your tax return on 1 July, not all of your income will be available on your ATO prefill report. 

Check that your income statement from your employer is marked as “tax ready” before lodging your tax return. 

Also check that all of your investment income has been included in your tax return (as it can take some time for this to be available on your ATO prefill report).

By following these steps, it means it will be less likely that your return will need to be amended.

Depreciation of assets

For businesses with a turnover under $50 million, up to 30 June 2023 you can claim a deduction for the acquisition of any eligible depreciating assets (there is no limit for most assets).

For small businesses (turnover under $10 million) that use simplified depreciation rules, the balance of your small business pool can be written off at the end of the income year.

We note that there is still a cost limit on certain assets – for example, you can only claim a maximum deduction of $64,741 for a passenger vehicle during the 2023 financial year.  A passenger vehicle is a vehicle that is designed to carry a load less than one tonne and fewer than 9 passengers.

From 1 July 2023, the depreciation limit changes to $20,000 – this means you can only claim a full deduction at time of purchase for assets that cost $20,000 or less.  After 1 July 2023, any assets that you acquire for more than $20,000 will need to depreciated for tax purposes.

EOFY Tax tip: If you are looking to acquire capital assets for your business, we recommend doing so prior to 30 June to get the deduction in the current financial year.  If the deduction puts your company in a loss position – consider the loss carry-back provisions below.

Business tip: While you get the benefit of deducting the full cost of the asset in the current financial year, this means that you will not receive any depreciation on this asset in future years.  It also means that when you sell the asset, any income from the sale will be subject to income tax.

Business tip: The tax depreciation deduction is only available once the asset is installed and ready for use.  Getting assets installed and ready for use by 30 June might be difficult for some businesses given the current lack of supply for equipment and vehicles.

Company loss carry-back

Companies that make a loss in the 2020 to 2023 financial years, can carry this loss back to reduce taxable profits made on or after the 2019 financial year.  The company can then elect to receive a refund of the tax paid in that year when lodging the later year tax return.

EOFY Tax tip: Your company may be able to take advantage of the asset depreciation rules to write off the full value of new assets purchased.  If the depreciation puts your company into a loss, this loss may be applied against the taxable profits from 2019 to 2022.  You may then receive a refund of tax paid in those financial years.

Employee super

The June quarter superannuation guarantee liability is required to be paid by 28 July.  However, a business can only claim a tax deduction for employees’ superannuation when it is actually paid.  As such, to ensure you get a deduction in the current year, you need to pay your employees’ June superannuation guarantee liability prior to 30 June (cashflow permitting).  We recommend that the payment be made by 20 June (to ensure it is processed by the recipient superfund). 

EOFY Tax tip: Pay your employee June quarter superannuation by 20 June 2023 to get a deduction in the current financial year.

Business tip: The ATO are currently allocating considerable resources to reviewing employer compliance with paying employees’ superannuation guarantee.  There are significant penalties that apply if you pay your employee superannuation late. 

Business tip: The payment of your June quarter superannuation liability does not impact on your profit and loss position (as the superannuation liability has already been recorded in your profit and loss).  The payment before 30 June simply brings the tax deductibility of the payment forward to the current financial year.  If you make the payment after 1 July (and before the 28 July cut-off), the payment will be deductible next financial year.

Business tip: From 1 July 2023, the superannuation guarantee rate increases to 11%.  This will continue to increase by 0.5% per year until it reaches 12%.  This will have flow-on implications for payroll tax, workcover etc. 

Personal superannuation

You may also want to make personal contributions to super.  For the 2022/23 financial year, the maximum concessional (deducted) contribution cap is $27,500.

However, if your superannuation balance was less than $500,000 as at 30 June 2022, it may also be possible for you to contribute more super by taking advantage of the unused concessional cap carry forward rules. 

EOFY Tax tip: If you have unusually high income during the 2023 financial year, consider whether making additional deductible superannuation contributions fits within your personal financial plan.  We recommend speaking with your financial adviser with regards to your superannuation contributions.

Trade debtors

You should review your trade debtors as at 30 June.  You must ensure that any debts that are uncollectible are written off prior to 30 June in order to claim a tax deduction for the write-off in the current financial year.  This is particularly important given the on-going effect of COVID-19 on many businesses.

EOFY Tax tip: To write off a bad debt – you must have made reasonable and commercial attempts to recover the debt and have now determined it is uncollectible.  You then need to make a decision in writing to write off the bad debt (eg. you have removed the debt from the customer’s account and have recognised a bad debt expense).

Prepay or bring forward your expenses

Make sure you review all of your expenses and bring forward any expenses to June (where possible).  For example, stock up on stationery and office consumables, prepay your insurance and interest (if applicable) and look at any other expenses you may be able to pay in June.  By bringing these expenses forward to June, you are obtaining a tax deduction in the current financial year which will reduce your overall tax bill for the 2023 year.

EOFY Tax tip: If your business is in a loss position, it may not be advantageous to bring forward expenses to the current financial year.  Please contact us to discuss whether this strategy is appropriate for you.

Defer assessable income

Consider whether it is possible to defer your assessable income (being mindful of cashflow implications) to next financial year. 

Motor vehicles

If you are using a vehicle for a high percentage of work-related travel, make sure you keep a logbook.  Without a logbook, an individual is limited to claiming a maximum of 5,000km at $0.78 (or $3,900) in the 2023 financial year.  If you keep a logbook, you can claim the business percentage of the operating costs of the vehicle (petrol, registration, servicing, depreciation, interest etc).

Logbooks must be kept for 12 continuous weeks and remember to record your vehicle’s opening and closing odometer readings each year.

EOFY Tax tip: A logbook started prior to 30 June can be used to support a logbook claim even if the logbook isn’t completed until after 30 June.

Working from home

If you worked from home during the 2023 financial year, you may be able to claim a deduction for a percentage of the running costs of your home.  There are two different methods you can use to calculate your deduction:

(1) Revised Fixed-Rate method ($0.67 per hour) – this method covers electricity, internet, mobile and home phone, stationery and computer consumables.  It does not cover depreciation of office equipment.  From 1 March 2023, if you are using this method, you need to have a diary of your actual hours worked from home.

(2) Actual cost method – you can calculate and claim the work-related portion of your actual expenses provided you have kept appropriate records.

For more information about your working from home deduction – see our earlier article.

EOFY Tax tip: From 1 March 2023, You must have a diary to record your hours working from home.  If you do not have diary evidence, we cannot claim a deduction for these hours.

EOFY Tax tip: The ATO will be specifically reviewing deductions for working from home during the 2023 year.  Ensure you have appropriate documentation for your hours and you are not claiming twice, by claiming the rate per hour ($0.67) plus a deduction for your phone for example.

Trust minutes

Prior to 30 June, make sure the trustees of your discretionary trusts decide how they are going to distribute their income and capital.  This decision must be documented in a trust minute before 30 June (or as otherwise specified in your trust deed).  It is important that you review your trust income for the 2023 financial year to ensure that the trust minute accurately reflects the trustee’s intention.  Given the recent announcements from the ATO with regards to the distribution of income to adult children and other tax advantaged beneficiaries, it is important that you get tax advice for your end of year tax minutes.

EOFY Tax tip: Your trust minutes must be prepared prior to 30 June to evidence the trustee’s decision regarding the distribution.  Keep this minute with your tax records.

Rental properties

For your rental properties, if you have any expenses coming up in the next few months, try to pay these prior to 30 June – this will bring the deduction into the current tax year and will help you to reduce your 2023 tax bill.

In relation to any interest you are claiming on your rental property, make sure you only claim the interest on the loan that was used to purchase the property.  If you have drawn down on the same loan for private purposes (eg. for a holiday), the interest that relates to the private usage is not deductible.

EOFY Tax tip: Consider getting a depreciation report for your rental property.  You may be able to claim additional tax deductions for the cost of the building and potential its fixtures and fittings.

EOFY Tax tip: Consider undertaking repairs to your property prior to 30 June.

EOFY Tax tip: Rental property deductions are being specifically reviewed by the ATO during the 2023 year.  Make sure your rental expenses are correct and that you have appropriate supporting documentation.

Cryptocurrency

The ATO have specifically announced that they will be reviewing cryptocurrency transactions in the 2023 tax returns.  It is important to ensure you include all cryptocurrency transactions on your tax return.  If you have had any cryptocurrency gains in the current financial year, you may wish to consider some additional tax planning measures before 30 June to reduce any tax liability.

EOFY Tax tip: Make sure you have all of your documentation available for all cryptocurrency transactions.  Noting that changing your investment from one cryptocurrency to another constitutes a transaction which may result in a tax liability. 

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice.  Accordingly, neither TJN Accountants nor any member or employee of TJN Accountants accepts any responsibility for any loss, however caused, as a result of reliance on this general information.  We recommend that our formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas.  The article is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information.  Therefore, it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without our consent,

Higher Education Debt – should I make voluntary repayments?

Higher Education Debt: 

Should I Make Voluntary Repayments?

Higher education debts (eg. HECS/HELP debts) that are unpaid on 1 June (and have been outstanding for 11 months) are automatically increased by an indexation rate. Previously, these debts have been increased by CPI. Last year, the application of CPI as the relevant indexation rate saw HECS debts increase by 7.1% last year – the highest indexation rate ever applied. 

On 6 May 2024, the Federal Government announced that the calculation of the indexation rate for HECS/HELP debts would be changed.  They would be increased by either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI) whichever is lower. They also announced that this would be backdated to 1 June 2023. The relevant WPI for June 2023 is 3.2% (less than half of the 7.1% CPI rate applied last year). Noting that this is subject to the legislation being passed. 

For anyone who had a HECS/HELP debt that was indexed on 1 June 2023 at the 7.1% CPI rate, you will receive a credit on 1 June 2024 for the difference between the 7.1% CPI and the new 3.2% WPI rate*.  

Prior to this announcement, we knew that the CPI rate for the June 2024 indexation of the HECS/HELP debts was 4.7%. We are now awaiting the release of the WPI figures to determine the indexation rate under WPI. The Federal Government have suggested that this will be approximately 4%*.  

For anyone who has a HECS/HELP debt, it is forecasted that it will be indexed on 1 June 2024 by approximately 4%* (with a credit also applied for the reduction in the indexation rate at 1 June 2023 noted above).

Any reduction of the debt prior to this date will mean the amount of indexation will be lower (as the debt is lower).  If you have an outstanding tax return that will reduce the debt, we recommend you lodge the return as soon as possible to ensure the payment from your tax return is applied. 

If you want to make a voluntary repayment towards the debt, we recommend this be done no later than 22 May to ensure it is received by the ATO and applied to your debt prior to 1 June. 

You can check your outstanding higher education debt via your myGov app if it is linked to the ATO.  You can also find payment details for the debt in your ATO account via myGov.  If you have any problems finding these details, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

For your reference, the following debts are affected by indexation: 

  • Higher Education Loan Program (HELP, formerly HECS)
  • VET Student Loan (VSL)
  • Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS)
  • Student Start-up Loan (SSL
  • ABSTUDY Student Start-up Loan (ABSTUDY SSL)
  • Trade Support Loan (TSL)

 
* The recent announcements by the Federal Government are subject to the passing of legislation.  If the legislation is not passed, the backdated credit will not be applied for the 2023 year and the indexation rate applied on 1 June 2024 will be 4.7% (CPI).

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, neither TJN Accountants nor any member or employee of TJN Accountants accepts any responsibility for any loss, however caused, as a result of reliance on this general information. We recommend that our formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas. The article is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information. Therefore it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without our consent.

Use it or Lose it – Carried Forward Super Contributions

Super Contributions: Use it or Lose it

If your superannuation account balance was less than $500,000 as at 30 June 2023, you have until 30 June 2024 to catch up any unused concessional superannuation contributions from 2019.

From the 2020 financial year onwards, new rules came into effect that enabled individuals with a total superannuation balance of less than $500,000 to catch up on superannuation contributions that may not have been maximised made in prior years. 

For example, in the 2019 year, the total concessional contribution cap was $25,000.  If you only made contributions of $15,000, then you have $10,000 unused from that same year.  You can carry this unused cap balance forward for up to 5 years.  After 5 years, the unused balance expires.  This means that you have until 30 June 2024 to use up any unused concessional cap from the 2019 financial year.  If you don’t use up the 2019 carried forward balance before 30 June 2024, it will be lost.

But there’s a catch: your current year contributions first go towards this year’s cap.  Once that is maxed out, any extra goes towards past years, starting from the oldest.

So, to claim your 2019 unused cap, you’ve first got to max out your 2024 contributions ($27,500).  Anything above that goes towards your unused caps from previous years, starting with 2019.

Not sure what your prior year unused caps are?  Check your myGov account or as your tax agent.

Now, before you go all in, chat with your financial planner to make sure it aligns with your retirement goals.

Remember, if you are looking to claim a personal tax deduction for superannuation contributions, you need to:

  1. Ensure the contribution is received by your superfund prior to 30 June;
  2. Give your superannuation fund a “Notice of Intention to Claim a Tax Deduction” for the contributions;
  3. Receive an acknowledgement letter from your fund prior to lodging your 2024 tax return.

If you’re considering extra contributions this year, talk to your tax agent and your financial planner to figure out how much and if it fits your retirement plan.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice.  Accordingly, neither TJN Accountants nor any member or employee of TJN Accountants accepts any responsibility for any loss, however caused, as a result of reliance on this general information.  We recommend that our formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas.  The article is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information.  Therefore it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without our consent,