Author: Simon Terry

Background A Western Australian Supreme Court recently ruled on an invoice scam dispute, shedding light on the legal risks businesses face if they fail to confirm suspicious payment details. In the case, hackers accessed a legitimate email account and sent fraudulent banking information to the paying party—leaving the payer on the hook for the unrecovered funds. What Happened An electrical contractor’s email account was hacked. The scammer emailed updated bank…  Read more

In recent times, there has been a notable increase in fraudulent tax return lodgments across Australia, often resulting from compromised myGov accounts. The Australian Taxation Office has indicated that breaches of myGov accounts have been in those with a Basic or Standard identity level and potentially none with a Strong identity level. On 13 November 2024 the Australian Government rebranded their digital identity management system from myGovID to myID. myID…  Read more

In a discretionary trust structure, several key roles play distinct and important parts. Understanding the functions and interrelationships of the Appointor, Guardian, along with the Trustee, Directors and Shareholders (or the alternative of an individual trustee) is crucial. Let’s break down each role: Appointor Primary Function: The Appointor is the most powerful figure in a discretionary trust. Their key role is to appoint or remove trustees. Control: Through the power…  Read more

In the world of business accounting, two critical practices stand out for ensuring clarity, accuracy, and long-term financial health: monthly balance sheet reconciliations and profit and loss (P&L) comparisons. We’re looking to answer a few questions: are your assets and liabilities accurate and complete? are your income and expenses accurate and complete? are you consistent and correct with your bookkeeping? what can you do with this knowledge to improve your…  Read more

Your Business Activity Statement (BAS) is a form submitted to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) by registered businesses to report their GST obligations, Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding (PAYGW) and Pay As You Go (PAYG) instalments (PAYGI). Many business owners and their bookkeepers do a good job of preparing and lodging their own BAS, however recording the BAS payment back into the accounts is where things go astray. When…  Read more

How many things can go wrong? We don’t have an exact number, but at a guess, quite a lot. Enough to take notice and manage risk as a process and with intent. Not so many that we need to wrap ourselves in cotton wool and stay indoors. What have we seen in recent years? This is probably not the full list, but it’s a pretty good start: Payment sent to…  Read more

The evolution of Single Touch Payroll (STP) requires more effort than usual on year end payroll finalisation. Under STP employers must report pay, allowances, taxes and superannuation information directly to the ATO every payday through STP. Employers using STP will not give employees a payment summary as they usually would at this time of year. Instead, employees will get an end-of-year income statement in ATO online services through myGov. Employers…  Read more

ChatGPT – more exciting than crypto currency, bitcoin and the metaverse put together. More useful than Instagram and TikTok. AI generative language models are a transformational leap forward. I’ve had a chat with ChatGPT to write this article… You will see my input and ChatGPT responses. write a 4 line poem to get a business owner interested to use chatgpt With ChatGPT by your side, Your workload will subside, Efficient,…  Read more

Legislation passed in late 2022 removes Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) on eligible electric cars provided by employers to current employees for private use. Before we dive into the detail, ask yourself a few questions to see if the tax concessions on an electric vehicle might be right for you: Do you need or want a new car? With a cost of say $50,000 to $85,000 a tax benefit will rarely…  Read more

The ATO has recently released a draft tax guidance (PCG 2023/1) for claiming tax deductions for working from home. You need to be aware of these changes so that you can keep the appropriate records to maximise your tax claims in your 2023 Tax Return. You need to implement improved record keeping starting immediately. The ATO record keeping requirements are onerous for what are usually relatively low value claims.  Example…  Read more

As a client of an accounting firm, it’s important to remember that you are a vital part of the team working towards your financial success. Here are some tips on how to be a good client and get the most out of your relationship with your accountant: Communicate openly and honestly: It’s important to be upfront and honest about your financial situation and concerns. We are to help you, and…  Read more

The good news is there were virtually no tax or superannuation changes that affect small or medium size business. This is very much welcomed. The bad news is with interest rates rising, high inflation and labour costs rising, businesses looking for assistance from the Government will be very disappointed by this interim Budget. Based on our analysis, the big winners appear to be: Families – Childcare subsidies extended, increased benefits…  Read more

Farm management deposits Tax planning is aimed at farmers saving tax while banking the benefits of a good year while creating a safety net for difficult years. Farm management deposits allow you to build wealth, save tax and get ahead. Farm management deposits (FMD’s) are a useful tax planning tool that can be used to delay tax liabilities in the year a deposit is made with income and tax recognised…  Read more

We regularly try to explain to clients the concept of a franked dividend – what are they, why do they matter, what does it mean for your tax and how can they work to your benefit. Some understand franking credits, some nod wisely but still feel confused, and some dream about doing something else, anything else apart from tax. We get that the concept is a challenge, so we’ll try…  Read more

We spoke with bookkeeper and business owner Tash Black about her thoughts on running a small business. What made you want to be a business owner? It was something that I had always wanted to do, I wanted to be my own boss. I wanted the challenge of making something mine and experiencing the rewards of reaching my goals and being successful. What impact did owning your own business have…  Read more

On 23 February 2022 the ATO targeted the tax benefits of family trust distributions with a focus on distributions to the adult children of trust controllers. It’s one of the most significant developments for the taxation of trusts in over two decades. The ATO’s attack on the potential tax benefits of trusts is comprehensive: • Taxation Ruling TR 2022/D1 Income tax: section 100A reimbursement agreements • Practical Compliance Guideline PCG…  Read more

The technical drafting and operation of a trust deed is becoming increasingly important. A trust deed is a legal document. Each has been drafted by a lawyer at a particular point in time on the basis of an understanding of key issues in the law. There is no standard template. As accountants we work with a simple rule of thumb: Read the Deed A well drafted deed is easy to…  Read more

On 9 February 2022 the High Court released two decisions that changed our understanding of employee vs contractors. At the bottom of this article are the summaries provided by the High Court. For many years Australian Courts have increasingly followed a doctrine of substance over form. That is, look at the substance and reality of a transaction or relationship rather than the initial intent as documented in the legal drafting…  Read more

Risk management should be central to life and business. At Porters CA we see two simple key imperatives – (A) achieve your goals; (B) plan and manage the risk of not achieving your goals. With the WA borders set to reopen on 3 March it is time to start contingency planning. Absent a major surprise we are looking at a high and rapid incidence of Covid with: interruptions to business…  Read more

Are you looking for an opportunity to build your skills as a Bookkeeper in a professional and supportive environment? Porters CA offers you an opportunity to grow, assisted by strong systems and procedures in a supportive and friendly workplace. Training and career development is offered so you can become your best for a bright future. We are a boutique firm, mixing excellence in tax compliance and bookkeeping with a personal…  Read more