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Economy

March 26, 2021
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In Economy, Investments, Latest Updates

Australia hits right balance in recovery

Treasury chief Steven Kennedy believes few countries have experienced what Australia has achieved in responding to last year’s recession – relatively good health outcomes, smaller economic impacts and now, rapid recovery.

“By any measure, Australian governments have struck the right balance,” Dr Kennedy told senators in Canberra.

“Our outcomes have been world leading, both in the health and the economic sphere.”

He said the economy has now recovered 85 per cent of the decline from its pre-COVID level of output.

“Growth will now begin to moderate as we move past the initial phase of the recovery,” he told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday.

“While the economy is recovering strongly, well supported by fiscal and monetary policy settings, we are well below our pre-pandemic economic growth path and it will take some time to fully recover.”

He said the peak in unemployment now appears to have passed following strong employment gains in recent months.

In the mid-year budget review released in December, Treasury had predicted the unemployment peaking at 7.5 per cent in the March quarter.

Instead, the unemployment rate has steadily fallen, dropping to 5.8 per cent in February.

“Nonetheless, while outcomes to date have tended to surprise on the upside, there is still significant spare capacity in the labour market,” Dr Kennedy said.

New figures show there remains strong demand to hire staff with job advertisements posted on the internet jumping by a further seven per cent in February to be 24.8 per cent over the year.

This is the 10th straight month job ads, as compiled by the National Skills Commission, have risen after striking a record low in April 2020 and the depths of last year’s recession.

Job ads grew in all eight broad occupational groups monitored by the commission and recruitment activity increased across all states and territories.

But Dr Kennedy expects the number of people defined as being in long-term unemployment – those who have been looking for but been without, paid work for a year or more – will jump in coming months.

“This reflects the flow-on impacts of the spike in unemployment at the onset of the crisis in March and April last year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Australia recorded its third consecutive goods trade surplus above $8 billion for the first time in history.

Preliminary trade figures show exports grew by two per cent in February, buoyed by a record $1.3 billion of cereals exports, which helped offset a 12 per cent decline in iron ore shipments to China.

Imports also grew by two per cent, led by a 24 per cent increase in road vehicle inbound shipments.

 

Colin Brinsden, AAP Economics and Business Correspondent
(Australian Associated Press)

December 2, 2020
admin
In Economy, Estate Planning, Financial Advice, Philanthropy, Tax

Taking philanthropy to the next level

Taking philanthropy to the next level

Australians are generous when it comes to opening their wallet for a good cause. But you may have reached a point in life where you want to make a more substantial contribution with control over how your money is spent. You may also wish to get your children involved to instil shared values.

While it hasn’t received much publicity, increasing numbers of Australians are using charitable trusts to give in a more planned and tax-effective way.

The turning point came in 2001 when the Howard Government introduced the Private Ancillary Fund (PAF) with the aim of encouraging more individual and corporate philanthropy. PAFs are charitable trusts that can be used by an individual or family for strategic long-term giving.

Since then, the number of PAFs and the amount of money contained in them has grown steadily. In early 2018, JB Were reported that there were 1600 PAFs, housing $10 billion and distributing $500 million a year.i

Claiming a tax benefit

According to Philanthropy Australia, in the 2015-2016 financial year 14.9 million Australians collectively donated $12.5 billion to charities and not-for-profits (NFPs).ii The median donation was $200 and 4.51 million taxpayers claimed for a ‘deductible gift’ on their tax return, highlighting that you don’t have to be wealthy to live generously.

Though donations to appropriately accredited charities and not-for-profits are tax-deductible, the figures indicate two-thirds of taxpayers don’t bother to claim. It’s well worth keeping track of receipts so you can claim when you think that, for example, a single donation of $5000 to a charity or NFP in a financial year will reduce your taxable income by $5000.

A core principle of tax-deductible philanthropy is that the giver shouldn’t stand to receive any material benefit. For example, if you buy tickets in a raffle run by a charity you can’t claim a tax deduction on the cost of the tickets. In order to receive a tax deduction for your donation, the recipient must also be registered as a deductible gift recipient (DGR).

There are many ways to be charitable but the impact on your tax bill will vary depending on how you go about it.

A more sophisticated approach

These days, people who want to take philanthropy to the next level with an ongoing, tax-effective approach have a variety of trusts to choose from.

The Private Ancillary Fund

PAFs are the best-known of the new breed of trusts. The money placed in a PAF is tax-deductible and assets in the fund aren’t subject to income or capital gains tax (but do qualify for franking credits).

Let’s say a dentist sets up a PAF and gifts half his $500,000 annual income into the fund where it’s invested in a diversified portfolio. The dentist’s taxable income now drops to $250,000. What’s more, no tax is paid on the returns made on the $250,000 that has been invested in the PAF. The dentist has to distribute a minimum of five per cent of their PAF’s net asset value annually, or a minimum of $11,000. After meeting that requirement, the dentist has a relatively free hand about which charities to support and how much they receive.

The Public Ancillary Fund (PuAF)

PuAFs work the same way as PAFs but operate on a larger scale. For example, 10 dentists may set up a PuAF to finance the building of dental hospitals in Africa. As well as gifting part of their incomes, the 10 dentists can (in fact, are obliged to) invite the general public to make tax-deductible donations to their PuAF.

Testamentary Trust (or Will Trust)

These are used by individuals wanting to leave money in their will to a specified charitable purpose. The two advantages of this type of trust are that the trustee(s) can distribute the income generated by the trust in a way that minimises the tax burden of beneficiaries, and the assets in the trust can’t be accessed by parties such as creditors and the divorcing partners of a beneficiary.

Smart selflessness

Like many parts of the economy, the charity sector has been ‘disrupted’ in recent years, with a stronger focus on donor engagement.

Organisations such as Effective Philanthropy and Effective Altruism have emerged to analyse how the charity dollar can be best spent. While crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe have emerged to facilitate, for example, the funding of individual medical procedures.

As a result, many philanthropists have gone from simply writing cheques to directing – or at least monitoring – how their money is spent.

Your contribution is most likely to be well spent if you donate it to an organisation that defines its mission clearly, has measurable goals, can demonstrate concrete achievements and is transparent about its finances (e.g. has annual reports available on its website).

Few people give to get a tax deduction but by supporting good causes in a tax-effective manner you can achieve a bigger bang for your philanthropic buck. If you would like to know more about tax-effective giving, give us a call.

Some examples of philanthropists making their mark
James &
Gretel Packer		 National Philanthropic Fund
(2014-)		 $200 million to the arts and Indigenous education by 2024
Paul Ramsay Paul Ramsay Foundation
(2014-)		 $3 billion to improve health and education outcomes for Australians
Andrew Forrest & his wife Nicola Minderoo Foundation
(2001-)		 $645 million to drive social change encompassing education, research and Indigenous affairs
‘Pokies King’ Len Ainsworth ‘Giving Pledge’
(2017-)		 $500 million to support primarily medical and health-related charities

 

Are you interested in creating a PAF to support your charity contributions, reach out to the Sherlock Wealth team to discuss your unique situation here

 

i https://www.strategicgrants.com.au/au/free-resources/blog/19-blog-kate/280-grantseeking-donor-giving

ii http://www.philanthropy.org.au/tools-resources/fast-facts-and-stats/

 

October 7, 2020
admin
In Economy, Latest Updates

2020-2021 Budget Wrap-up

Federal Budget 2020

Overview

The 2020-21 Budget was delivered on 6 October 2020, having been deferred from its original date of 12 May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget is firmly focused on supporting Australia’s recovery from the first recession since 1991 and the worst economic performance since 1959.

The budget revealed that real GDP is projected to shrink by 1.5 percent in 2020-21, before rebounding in the following years. Similarly, the unemployment rate is set to peak this year at 7.25 percent and will take at least two years to fall below 6 percent.

Given the fall in tax revenue and an increase in spending, the 2020-21 Budget is projected to be in deficit by $213.7 billion, with the deficit falling to $66.9 billion by 2023-24. Net debt will increase to $703 billion this year and peak at $966 billion or 44 percent of GDP in 2024.

Central to the Government’s plans for economic recovery is the JobMaker package, which includes significant tax relief measures for households and businesses, a boost to infrastructure investment and a hiring credit for new employees.

The Government has brought forward it’s stage-two income tax cuts by two years from their original start date of 1 July 2022 to 1 July 2020. The stage-two tax cuts lift the income threshold at which the 19 per cent tax rate applies – from $41,000 to $45,000 – and the rate at which the 32.5 per cent rate applies – from $90,000 to $120,000.

Major support for businesses with a turnover of less than $5 billion includes immediate expensing of capital investment for businesses; temporary carry-back of current and future losses to 2018-19; and insolvency reforms to assist stressed businesses to restructure.

The Government has also proposed a range of reforms to superannuation to reduce the cost of duplicate accounts, improve performance of MySuper funds and increase transparency in fund management.

Further details of these measures follow.

Personal Income Tax

Bringing forward the Personal Income Tax Plan and retaining the low and middle-income tax offset.

The Government will bring forward the second stage of its Personal Income Tax Plan by two years to 1 July 2020 while retaining the low and middle-income tax offset (LMITO) for 2020-21.

The changes are intended to provide immediate tax relief to individuals and support the economic recovery and jobs by boosting consumption by providing around $17.8 billion in tax relief to around 11.6 million Australians, including $12.5 billion over the next 12 months.

The top threshold of the 19 per cent personal income tax bracket will increase from $37,000 to $45,000. The top threshold of the 32.5 per cent personal income tax bracket will increase from $90,000 to $120,000.

* The LMITO will only be available until the end of the 2020-21 income year.

Even with the quick passage of legislation, the tax measures will be backdated by around four months. As a result, reduction in PAYG tax for the remainder of the financial year will be around 1.5 times the ongoing rate.

The low-income tax offset (LITO) will increase from $445 to $700. The increased LITO will be withdrawn at a rate of 5 cents per dollar between taxable incomes of $37,500 and $45,000. The LITO will then be withdrawn at a rate of 1.5 cents per dollar between taxable incomes of $45,000 and $66,667.

The LMITO provides a reduction in tax of up to $1,080. It provides a reduction in tax of up to $255 for taxpayers with a taxable income of $37,000 or less. Between taxable incomes of $37,000 and

$48,000, the value of the offset increases at a rate of 7.5 cents per dollar to the maximum offset of $1,080. Taxpayers with taxable incomes between $48,000 and $90,000 are eligible for the maximum offset of $1,080. For taxable incomes of $90,000 to $126,000, the offset phases out at a rate of 3 cents per dollar.

Stage three of the Personal Income Tax Plan is unchanged and scheduled to commence in 2024-25.

INCREASING THE MEDICARE LEVY LOW-INCOME THRESHOLDS

The Government has increased the Medicare levy low-income thresholds for singles, families, and seniors and pensioners from 2019-20. The increases take account of recent movements in the consumer price index so that low-income taxpayers generally continue to be exempted from paying the Medicare levy.

  • The threshold for singles has increased from $22,398 to $22,801.
  • The family threshold has increased from $37,794 to $38,474.
  • For single seniors and pensioners, the threshold has increased from $35,418 to $36,056. The family threshold for seniors and pensioners has increased from $49,304 to $50,191.
  • For each dependent child or student, the family income thresholds increase by a further $3,533, instead of the previous amount of $3,471.

Business Support

The Government has announced a significant suite of business supports intended to kick-start investment and help businesses manage the current economic downturn.
Notably, the measures that provide financial support are temporary, so as not to affect the long term fiscal outlook.

TEMPORARY FULL EXPENSING TO SUPPORT INVESTMENT AND JOBS

In a major initiative to promote business investment, the Government has announced it will allow eligible businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of eligible capital assets acquired between now and 30 June 2022. The initiative will be limited to businesses with a turnover of less than $5 billion.

Full expensing in the year of first use will apply to new depreciable assets and the cost of improvements to existing eligible assets. For small and medium-sized businesses (with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million), full expensing also applies to second-hand assets.

Businesses that hold assets eligible for the enhanced $150,000 instant asset write-off will have an extra six months, until 30 June 2021, to first use or install those assets.

This initiative is expected to provide $26.7 billion in tax relief for businesses over the next four years, with $1.5 billion in the current financial year.

TEMPORARY LOSS CARRY-BACK TO SUPPORT CASH FLOW

In another initiative intended to allow eligible businesses to better manage the current economic downturn, the Government has announced that eligible businesses will be able to carry back tax losses from 2019-20 to 2021-22 to offset previously taxed profits from 2018-19 or later years. The initiative will be limited to businesses with a turnover of less than $5 billion.

The carryback allowable must not be greater than the profit taxed in the earlier year and a carryback will not generate a franking account deficit.

This initiative is expected to provide around $4.9 billion in support over the forward estimates and, as it is a time-limited measure, will not have a significant long term impact on the budget.

JOBMAKER HIRING CREDIT

To support employment, the Government has announced a weekly payment for businesses who hire eligible new employees. The payment will last for twelve months and is available immediately. To be eligible, new employees must be between 16 and 35 years old. For employees between 16 and 30, the business will be eligible for $200 per week. For employees between 30 and 35 years old, the business will be eligible for $100 per week. Employees must be engaged for at least 20 hours per week and all businesses (except for the major banks) are eligible.

INSOLVENCY REFORMS TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS

The Government had previously announced a new, quicker and lower-cost process to allow small businesses to address insolvency. This measure is intended to help small businesses to restructure, avoid liquidation and continue trading. This process will be available to businesses with liabilities under $1 million which represent around 76 percent of all insolvencies.

INCREASE THE SMALL BUSINESS ENTITY TURNOVER THRESHOLD

The Government will expand access to a range of small business tax concessions by increasing the small business entity turnover threshold for these concessions from $10 million to $50 million. Businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of $10 million or more but less than $50 million will have access to up to ten further small business tax concessions in three phases up to 1 July 2021.

DIGITAL BUSINESS PLAN

The Government is continuing its support for digital uptake in Australian businesses through its $796.5 million Digital Business Plan. Measures included in this plan will support the roll-out of the Consumer Data Right, assist in the commercialisation of regtech and fintech, and support Australian businesses using technology to reduce regulatory compliance costs.

Superannuation

Despite much speculation, the Government has not made any unexpected changes to the superannuation system for the 2020-21 financial year. Previously announced COVID-19 measures in relation to early access to super and pension drawdown relief will continue.

The Government has otherwise continued its commitment to the Your Future, Your Super package which will see super funds follow members as they change jobs, new interactive comparison tools, active management of underperforming funds, and increased trustee transparency and accountability.

COVID-19 RESPONSE PACKAGE

Temporary early access to superannuation

The Government is allowing eligible Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents affected by the financial impacts of COVID-19 to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in 2019-20 and a further $10,000 in 2020-21 to help support them during COVID-19. The 2020-21 application period for the measure will cease on 31 December 2020.

Temporarily reducing superannuation minimum drawdown rates 

The Government has reduced the superannuation minimum drawdown requirements for account-based pensions and similar products by 50 per cent for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 income years. Minimum payment amounts are calculated on the basis of asset values on 1 July of each income year.

YOUR FUTURE, YOUR SUPER

The Government will provide $159.6 million over four years from 2020-21 to implement reforms to superannuation to improve outcomes for superannuation fund members. The reforms will reduce the number of duplicate accounts held by employees as a result of changes in employment and prevent new members joining underperforming funds.

Commencing 1 July 2021, the Your Future, Your Super package will improve the superannuation system by:

  • Having your superannuation follow you: preventing the creation of unintended multiple superannuation accounts when employees change jobs by “stapling” super funds
  • Making it easier to choose a better fund: members will have access to a new interactive online YourSuper comparison tool which will encourage funds to compete harder for members’ savings. This tool will be developed and maintained by the ATO, and enable new employees to select the right MySuper fund for themselves when they start
  • Holding funds to account for underperformance: to protect members from poor outcomes and encourage funds to lower costs the Government will require MySuper products to meet an annual objective performance Those that fail will be required to inform members. Persistently underperforming products will be prevented from taking on new members.
  • Increasing transparency and accountability: the Government will increase trustee accountability by strengthening their obligations to ensure trustees only act in the best financial interests of The Government will also require superannuation funds to provide better information regarding how they manage and spend members’ money in advance of Annual Members’ Meetings.

RETIREMENT INCOME REVIEW

The Retirement Income Review was speculated to be released with the budget, however, this has not occurred. The Government did announce however that the Retirement Income Covenants which would have required superannuation trustees to have a strategy in place to support the retirement income needs of members from 1 July 2020 has been delayed to 1 July 2022.

Social Security

As the country finds itself in a recession, much of the focus for the 2020-21 Budget has been on social security measures to support Australian’s who are out of work. The Government has confirmed announced extensions to the JobKeeper payments, provided clarification around COVID-19 payment supplements to those on JobSeeker, will make two $250 payments for eligible social security recipients, and a developed a new JobMaker Hiring Credit for employers who bring on younger Australian’s who have been on JobSeeker.

JOBKEEPER PAYMENT EXTENSION

28 March 2021, with the Payment, targeted to those businesses that continue to be most significantly affected by the economic downturn. The level of the JobKeeper Payment is being tapered to enable businesses to transition towards their longer-term plans and a two-tiered payment is also being introduced to better match the Payment with the incomes of employees. The ATO will also be given additional resources to manage the JobKeeper and JobMaker programs.
The JobKeeper Payment extension announced on 21 July 2020 provides continued support until

COVID-19 RESPONSE PACKAGE — FURTHER ECONOMIC SUPPORT PAYMENTS

The Government will provide two separate $250 economic support payments, to be made from November 2020 and early 2021 to eligible recipients of the following payments and health care cardholders:

  • Age Pension
  • Disability Support Pension
  • Carer Payment
  • Family Tax Benefit, including Double Orphan Pension (not in receipt of a primary income
  • Carer Allowance (not in receipt of a primary income support payment)
  • Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holders (not in receipt of a primary income support payment)
  • Commonwealth Seniors Health Cardholders
  • Eligible Veterans’ Affairs payment recipients and concession cardholders.
  • The payments are exempt from taxation and will not count as income support for the purposes of any income support payment.

COVID-19 RESPONSE PACKAGE — INCOME SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS

Since 27 April 2020, the Government established a new time-limited Coronavirus Supplement to be paid at a non-income tested rate of $550 per fortnight. This is paid to both existing and new recipients of JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment, Austudy, ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Farm Household Allowance, Special Benefit, and recipients of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Education Schemes, Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme and Veterans’ Children’s Education Scheme.

From 25 September 2020, this supplement will change to $250 per fortnight and continue to 31 December 2020.

The income free area will also change to $300 per fortnight with a 60 cents taper for income earned above the income free area for JobSeeker Payment (except principal carer parents who have an income free area of $106 and a taper rate of 40 cents) and Youth Allowance (other) recipients.

Payment eligibility which was relaxed on a temporary basis, with the One Week Ordinary Waiting Period waived from 12 March 2020, and a range of further exemptions applied from 25 March 2020, including waiving the Newly Arrived Residents’ Waiting Period, Assets Test, Liquid Assets Waiting Period and Seasonal Work Preclusion Period, will all be reinstated from 25 September 2020 except the Assets test and Liquid Assets Waiting Period which will be reinstated from 31 December 2020.

Eligibility criteria for JobSeeker and Youth Allowance (Other) have also been extended to allow sole traders and the self-employed to access the payments provided they meet income test requirements.

Finally, mutual obligations will be changed to give job seekers greater flexibility to count education and training toward their activity requirements.

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SECURITY

The Government is investing in women’s economic security and supporting increased female workforce participation through the 2020 Women’s Economic Security Statement. The Government will provide $240.4 million over five years from 2020-21.

The Government is supporting new parents whose employment was interrupted by COVID-19. As a result, 9,000 individuals will gain eligibility for Parental Leave Pay and 3,500 for Dad and Partner Pay. This change will extend the work test period from 13 months prior to the birth or adoption of the child to 20 months prior, enabling access to Paid Parental Leave (PPL) where eligibility has been impacted by COVID-19. The Government is supporting disadvantaged parents on Parenting Payment through a $24.7 million expansion of the Parents Next program.

Aged Care

With the Aged Care Royal Commission recently handing its interim report to Government, the expected adoption of recommendations and new support measures for the aged care sector have been implemented. The Government is introducing close to $3 billion of measures to address the recommendations as well as address the unfortunate COVID-19 related issues which have emerged in the aged care sector.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE AGED CARE SECTOR’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

The Government will provide $2.0 billion over four years from 2020-21 to further support older Australians accessing aged care by providing additional home care packages as well as continuing to improve transparency and regulatory standards. Funding includes:

  • $1.6 billion over four years from 2020-21 for the release of an additional 23,000 home care packages across all package levels
  • $125.3 million over three years from 2020-21 to replace the Commonwealth Continuity of Support Programme with a new Disability Support for Older Australians program
  • $91.6 million over two years from 2020-21 to continue the reform to residential aged care funding
  • $4.6 million over two years from 2020-21 to review the support care needs of senior Australians who live in their own home and determine how best to deliver this care in the home.

SUPPORTING OLDER AUSTRALIANS THROUGH COVID-19

The Government will provide $812.8 million over four years from 2019-20 to support older Australians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding includes:

  • $70.0 million over two years from 2019-20 to provide access to short-term home support services through the Commonwealth Home Support Program to senior Australians who are frail or have self-isolated due to a high risk of contracting COVID-19
  • $59.3 million over two years from 2019-20 to guarantee the supply of food, including groceries and prepared meals, for senior Australians who are frail or have self-isolated due to a high risk of contracting COVID-19
  • $71.4 million in 2020-21 to support residents of aged care facilities who temporarily leave care to live with their families.

SUPPORTING OLDER AUSTRALIANS — EXEMPTING GRANNY FLAT ARRANGEMENTS FROM CAPITAL GAINS TAX

The Government will provide a targeted capital gains tax (CGT) exemption for granny flat arrangements where there is a formal written agreement. The exemption will apply to arrangements with older Australians or those with a disability. The measure will have effect from the first income year after the date of Royal Assent of the enabling legislation.

CGT consequences are currently an impediment to the creation of formal and legally enforceable granny flat arrangements. When faced with a potentially significant CGT liability, families often opt for informal arrangements, which can lead to financial abuse and exploitation in the event that the family relationship breaks down. This measure will remove the CGT impediments, reducing the risk of abuse to vulnerable Australian

 

 

October 26, 2002
admin
In Business, Economy, Family, Financial Planning, Latest Updates, Money, Self Managed Superannuation, Superannuation, Tax, Wealth

FEDERAL BUDGET OCTOBER 22-23 ANALYSIS

For the second time in 2022, the government of the day has delivered a Federal Budget. Last night’s Budget was the first delivered by the new Labor government that was elected in May 2022.
Given the present state of the economy post-COVID, a worsening economic position due to inflation and increased global instability, rising interest rates and cost of living pressures, the Budget was conservative by nature. There were no big surprises… Download our full analysis!

Download Here

 

Disclosure: This information is intended to provide general information only and has been prepared without considering any particular person’s objectives, financial situation and needs (‘your circumstances’). Before acting on such information, you should consider the appropriateness of the information regarding your circumstances.

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