Tax Update - Year End Approaches
This is the time of the year when tax accountants often do their most important work in preparing tax payers for the likely impost and looking for legal opportunities for minimisation or deferral.
Some of the opportunities include:
For individuals
o Superannuation Contributions
o Record keeping of business use of cars and homes
o Offsetting capital gains with losses
o Write-off of equipment bought for business usage
For businesses
o Writing off bad debts
o Revaluation of inventories
o Accelerated write offs
o Deferral of invoicing
o Acceleration of accruals
Superannuation Funds
o Payment of minimum pensions
Your MVAB advisor can elaborate on the application of these points to your circumstances
Federal Budget Announcements
The 120% deduction for skills training and technology costs
It’s a great headline isn’t it? Spend $100 and get a $120 tax deduction. Days after the Federal Budget announcement that businesses will be able to claim a 120% deduction for expenditure on training and technology costs, we started receiving marketing emails encouraging us to spend now to access the deduction.
But, there are a few problems. Firstly, the announcement is just that, it is not yet law. And, given the Government is in caretaker mode for the Federal election, we do not know the position of the incoming Government on this measure. And, even if the incoming Government is supportive, we are yet to see draft legislation or detail to determine the practical application of the measure.
What was announced?
The 2022-23 Federal Budget announced two ‘Investment Boosts’ available to small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million.
The Skills and Training Boost is intended to apply to expenditure from Budget night, 29 March 2022 until 30 June 2024. The business, however, will not be able to claim the deduction until the 2023 tax return. That is, for expenditure between 29 March 2022 and 30 June 2022, the boost, the additional 20%, will not be claimable until the 2022-23 tax return, assuming the announced start dates are maintained if and when the legislation passes Parliament.
The Technology Investment Boost is intended to apply to expenditure from Budget night, 29 March 2022 until 30 June 2023. As with the Skills and Training Boost, the additional 20% deduction for eligible expenditure incurred by 30 June 2022 will be claimed in the 2023 tax return.
The boost for eligible expenditure incurred on or after 1 July 2022 will be included in the income year in which the expenditure is incurred.
Technology Investment Boost
A 120% tax deduction for expenditure incurred by small businesses on business expenses and depreciating assets that support their digital adoption, such as portable payment devices, cyber security systems, or subscriptions to cloud-based services, capped at $100,000 per annum.
We have received a lot of questions about the specific expenditure the boost might apply to, for example does it cover website development or SEO services? But until we see the legislation, nothing is certain.
Skills and Training Boost
A 120% tax deduction for expenditure incurred by small businesses on external training courses provided to employees. External training courses will need to be provided to employees in Australia or online, and delivered by entities registered in Australia.
Some exclusions will apply, such as for in-house or on-the-job training and expenditure on external training courses for persons other than employees.
We are waiting on further details of this initiative to be released to confirm whether there will need to be a nexus between the training program and the current employment activities of the employees undertaking the course. So once again, until we have something more than the announcement, we cannot confirm how the measure will apply in practice or how broad (or otherwise) the definition of skills training is.
What happens if I have already spent money on training and technology in anticipation of the bolstered deduction?
If the measure becomes law, and the start date of the measure remains the same, we expect that any qualifying expenditure incurred in the 2021-22 financial year will be claimed in your tax return. But, the ‘boost’, the extra 20% will not be claimable until the 2022-23 financial year.
If the measure does not come to fruition, you should be able to claim a deduction under normal rules for the actual business expense.
It should also be noted that, in the case of a company, the additional tax deductions obtained through the various incentives may only provide a deferral in the payment tax, as there may be insufficient franking credits to attach to retained earnings when it comes time to pay out dividends to members. Therefore, members will receive a partially unfranked dividend, and would be required to pay all of the tax on that part with no credit for tax paid by the company.
Fuel tax credit changes
The Government temporarily halved the excise and excise equivalent customs duty rates for petrol, diesel and all other petroleum-based products (except aviation fuels) for 6 months from 30 March 2022 until 28 September 2022. This action has caused a reduction in fuel tax credit rates.
During this 6 month period, businesses using fuel in heavy vehicles for travelling on public roads won't be able to claim fuel tax credits for fuel used for this purpose. This is because the road user charge exceeds the excise duty payable, and this reduces the fuel tax credit rate to nil.
You can find the ATO’s updated fuel tax credit rates that apply for the period from 30 March 2022 to 30 June 2022 here. The ATO’s fuel tax credit calculator has been updated to apply the current rates.
Lowering tax instalments for small business – PAYG
PAYG instalments are regular prepayments made during the year of the tax on business and investment income. The actual amount owing is then reconciled at the end of the income year when the tax return is lodged.
Normally, GST and PAYG instalment amounts are adjusted using a GDP adjustment or uplift. For the 2022-23 income year, the Government has set this uplift factor at 2% instead of the 10% that would have applied. The 2% uplift rate will apply to small to medium enterprises eligible to use the relevant instalment methods for instalments for the 2022-23 income year:
· Up to $10 million annual aggregated turnover for GST instalments, and
· $50 million annual aggregated turnover for PAYG instalments
The effect of the change is that small businesses using this PAYG instalment method will have more cash during the year to utilise. However, the actual amount of tax owing on the tax return will not change, just the amount you need to contribute during the year.
Section 100A and distributions to adult children
As previously advised, the ATO have issued Draft Ruling TR 2022/D1, which set out the ATO’s proposed approach to the treatment of “reimbursement agreements”.
The views set out in the Draft Ruling potentially affected the somewhat long standing and well accepted approach that families have had in the use of trusts and distributions to adult children.
Submissions closed on 29th April 2022, and we await the final version of documents to come from the ATO to provide further guidance in the lead up to 30 June 2022 to assist with the drafting of distribution resolutions.
The main point to note, at this stage, however, is that the ATO view does not prohibit the making of distributions to adult children should the trustee determine for that to occur. It merely solidifies the requirement, which has always been in place, that the beneficiary must ultimately benefit from the distribution. Furthermore, the ATO position indicates that documentation and tracking of transactions will become more important as time goes on for clients to clearly substantiate legitimate transactions should they be asked to do so.
We are conscious that there is uncertainty amongst the client base in relation to this matter, and seek to discuss the implications of the Draft Ruling when assisting with the drafting of distribution resolutions in the coming weeks.
An update from the ATO on this matter is provided in the link below.
Trust distributions to companies
The ATO recently released a draft tax determination dealing specifically with unpaid distributions owed by trusts to corporate beneficiaries. If the amount owed by the trust is deemed to be a loan then it can potentially fall within the scope of the integrity provisions in Division 7A. If certain steps are not taken, such as placing the unpaid amount under a complying loan agreement, these amounts can be treated as deemed unfranked dividends for tax purposes and taxable at the taxpayer’s marginal tax rate. The ATO guidance deals specifically with, and potentially changes, when an unpaid entitlement to trust income will start being treated as a loan depending on the wording of the resolution to pay a distribution. The new guidance applies to trust entitlements arising on or after 1 July 2022.
Your superannuation
Work-test repeal – enabling those under 75 to contribute to super
Currently, a work test applies to superannuation contributions made by people aged 67 or over. In general, the work test requires that you are gainfully employed for at least 40 hours over a 30 day period in the financial year.
From 1 July 2022, the work-test has been scrapped and individuals aged younger than 75 years will be able to make or receive non-concessional (including under the bring-forward rule) or salary sacrifice superannuation contributions without meeting the work test, subject to existing contribution caps.
The work test will still apply to personal deductible contributions.
This change will also see those aged under 75 be able to access the ‘bring forward rule’ if your total superannuation balance allows. The bring forward rule enables you to contribute up to three years’ worth of non-concessional contributions to your super in one year.
Downsizer contributions from age 60
From 1 July 2022, eligible individuals aged 60 years or older can choose to make a ‘downsizer contribution’ into their superannuation of up to $300,000 per person ($600,000 per couple) from the proceeds of selling their home. Currently, you need to be 65 years or older to utilise downsizer contributions.
Downsizer contributions can be made from the sale of your principal residence that you have owned for the past ten or more years. These contributions are excluded from the age test, work test and your total superannuation balance (but not exempt from your transfer balance cap).
First home saver scheme – using super to save for a first home
The First Home Super Saver Scheme enables first home buyers to withdraw voluntary contributions they have made to superannuation and any associated earnings, to put toward the cost of a first home. At present, the maximum amount of voluntary contributions you can make and withdraw is $30,000. From 1 July 2022, the maximum amount will increase to $50,000. The benefit of this scheme is the concessional tax treatment of superannuation.
ATO ramps up heat on directors
Throughout March, the ATO sent letters to directors who are potentially in breach of their obligations to ensure that the company they represent has met its PAYG withholding, superannuation guarantee charge, or GST obligations.
These letters are a warning shot and should not be ignored.
The director penalty regime ensures that directors are personally liable for certain debts of the company if the debts are not actively managed. The liability applies to both current and former directors.
To recover this debt, the ATO will issue a director penalty notice to the individual directors. The ATO can then take action to recover the unpaid amount, including:
· By issuing garnishee notices,
· By offsetting tax credits owed to the director against the penalty, or
· By initiating legal recovery proceedings against the director.
In some cases it is possible for the penalty to be remitted but this depends on when the PAYGW, GST or SGC amounts are reported to the ATO. For example, in some cases the penalty can be remitted if an administrator or small business restructuring practitioner is appointed to the company, or the company begins to be wound up. However, this is normally only possible for PAYGW and GST amounts if they are reported to the ATO within 3 months of the due date. For SGC amounts this is only possible if the unpaid amount is reported by the due date of the SGC statement.
If the unpaid amounts are not reported to the ATO by the relevant deadline then the only way for the penalty to be remitted is for the debt to be paid in full. Winding up the company at this stage will not make the liability of the directors go away.
If you have received a warning letter from the ATO or a director penalty notice then please contact us immediately.