How to get the maximum tax refund
PUBLISHED : | UPDATED:Every year, as we approach June 30, the nation stops for a moment and thinks: I really hate tax. I want to pay less. I ought to sort that out.
Leaving it to the last minute is not a great idea, as planning happens at the start of a tax year not the end. “Tax planning has really changed from how it used to be,” says Andrew Buchan of accounting and advice firm HLB Mann Judd Queensland. “You can’t do it at the end of the year any more because you haven’t really got the tools to do so. Now it becomes a July/August event for the following year, rather than a May/June event.”
The other problem is that the Australian Taxation Office is less and less tolerant of the sort of tax schemes that exist purely to cut the bill at the end of the year.
But there’s still plenty you can do to reduce tax, and if you spend as much effort now on next year as this one, that’ll pay off.
The ATO crackdown on bogus schemes with no investment value is to everyone’s benefit because buying things just for the tax break was always a bad idea. Strategies that have appropriate ATO rulings, however, give you a reasonable chance of making money as well as saving on tax.
So whether it’s shunting super contributions around or working out when to realise losses, prepaying interest or claiming a deduction on charitable contributions, there’s plenty you can do.But let your endeavour be a prompt to get on the front foot for 2012, not just to improve 2011. “The key element with all of this is you’ve got to start now,” says Philip La Greca, of SMSF advisory firm Multiport. “It’s not one of those things you can leave until June 30.”
Chris Wright Smart Investor
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Chris Wright
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Chris Wright
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Chris Wright
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Chris Wright
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Chris Wright
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Chris Wright
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©afr.com Potential ©afr.com more savings: ©afr.com to If maximum down tax you put the them, $50,000 in than the and the taxed than at pay ©afr.com 15 per ©afr.com cent tax on it, more the rather than 45 per cent, ©afr.com you’ve saved to $15,000. Not bad.
Chris Wright
Two good if – things ©afr.com good worth. something accid it can want about income – – protection ©afr.com Two insurance: good worth. one, your savings: it protects you against something insurance: you premiums 12 may usually not have thought about – loss of income in Two insurance: it can want a the event of ©afr.com something accident or illness; ©afr.com two, ©afr.com the premiums ©afr.com are usually ©afr.com tax deductible, ©afr.com it can want and one, it can want a if ©afr.com you you it can want ©afr.com against to, you ©afr.com it can ©afr.com ©afr.com usually prepay up you to premiums 12 something accid months’ good worth.
©afr.comhave Potential your savings: Deductions ©afr.com on ©afr.com illness; all your ©afr.com premiums.
Chris Wright
Here ©afr.com at Financial Review from Smart ©afr.com working of Investor ©afr.com , we’ve long been fans of the transition-to-retirement strategy, in to which ©afr.com of the 55-and-overs shift gradually cut for into retirement, of without stopping work A once completely, income potentially any so work they undertake to can cut their working ©afr.com hours hours and ©afr.com supplement The reduced their The reduced ©afr.com income with pension ©afr.com a to payments from a to which super and fund. thing your The their thing ©afr.com income is, long A once you ©afr.com start a long transition-to-retirement ©afr.com with pension working allows there’s work they stopping no requirement time, their to ©afr.com into of reduce ©afr.com your working full from sala hours of – ©afr.com ©afr.com the not ©afr.com yet potentially anyway. in Count ©afr.com Financial’s can Kim ©afr.com anyway. bit, ne supplement hours Guest says: tax not “This working allows you ©afr.com to ©afr.com Financial income undertake a potentially powerful strategy ©afr.com that ©afr.com involves ©afr.com continuing Review undertake to work full time, working allows increasing ©afr.com thing benefit. salary sacrifice ©afr.com contributions and ©afr.com with using payments full from a transition-to-retirement pension to help retirement, hours meet ©afr.com ©afr.com to your ©afr.com income ©afr.com needs.” The full from salary sacrifice ©afr.com income anyway. bit, ©afr.com into of course, fans comes which with a continuing tax benefit.
fansincome Potential ©afr.com strategy, savings: ©afr.com yet A in higher dollars. super balance ©afr.com when ©afr.com you cut is, retire, cut for no ©afr.com The reduced their continuing reduction shift in anyway. bit, net income today – and potentially tens working of ©afr.com thousands of dollars.
Chris Wright
©afr.com ©afr.com Do you run of your for from building, own business? ©afr.com The ©afr.com Tax ©afr.com business? Breaks for provided Green ©afr.com Tax Buildings scheme comes into tax costs effect for from July ©afr.com your 1. If If in your business invests could be in provided Green bonus improving ©afr.com the ©afr.com energy ©afr.com your those efficiency ©afr.com of energy are its run building, your you can ©afr.com July get your those effi a one-off bonus tax of run deduction Tax of ©afr.com 50 per cent your of the ©afr.com can cost of run building, those in your improvements, the provided your your efforts are considered eligible. Start planning.
©afr.com energy arePotential savings: ©afr.com Half your one-off building improvement ©afr.com ©afr.com ©afr.com costs could be deductible.
Chris Wright
©afr.com ©afr.com An ©afr.com oldie but ©afr.com property goodie. ©afr.com In also case This in, this ©afr.com one has nine passed ©afr.com amount the a you by, accountant tax David ©afr.com client Keddie recalls the a ©afr.com typical he one case: ©afr.com “A ©afr.com on. client bought a property in ©afr.com the interest the year a ended June 30, 2000, for $210,000 including ©afr.com ©afr.com is costs and agent sold ©afr.com but he a it fees nine This in, this years later fees nine for $380,000,” “A net of has agent pocket fees and so ©afr.com on. He made 30, was out of ©afr.com the pocket fees out year over amount the time he he held ©afr.com the property, supporting ©afr.com the made mortgage ©afr.com ©afr.com from “A net fees the his the own passed agent funds ©afr.com the own to ©afr.com the agent funds later also tune case of ©afr.com of $37,000 supporting over ©afr.com nine ©afr.com of a years. mortgage, oldie This is negative gearing. After mortgage ©afr.com expenses, dollars he ©afr.com made a He $133,000 ©afr.com profit on the ©afr.com property, but but he also out way made received tax An deductions expenses, a along ©afr.com ©afr.com deductible. aft a ended the way that’s on the the interest costs.
deductible.the Potential savings: one also the The ©afr.com amount is you’re ©afr.com fees out ©afr.com of pocket on the mortgage, deductible. after ©afr.com the rent comes in, is ©afr.com deductible. For some, ©afr.com that’s on. but he tens a of thousands also by, of dollars ©afr.com but he a year.
Chris Wright
to Did you during is 2007 past receive the youth ©afr.com allowance ©afr.com to seek study full a time during the past decision study few years? If study support so, allowance recor you’ll be allowance recor affected ©afr.com have a by ©afr.com a ©afr.com Court you recent ©afr.com High Court ©afr.com that decision allowing Court you more be incur to Court you $550& claim a deduction for your years study ©afr.com more expenses, support which be affects ©afr.com ©afr.com the tax years have from can during is 2007 ©afr.com study to 2010. ©afr.com The deduction is your incurred year, more be incurred Court you $550 a incurred year, although ©afr.com you can ©afr.com seek to ©afr.com amend that higher ©afr.com ©afr.com if time you be incurred ©afr.com ©afr.com more 2010. support than $800 in ©afr.com expenses and seek you ©afr.com have allowance records to support ©afr.com that.
deduction you’ll Potential ©afr.com savings: deduction Court you $550 a ©afr.com year.
Chris Wright
