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2016 Tax Planning for Personal & Families

Posted on June 1st, 2016 by WLF

The end of the 2015/16 financial year is almost upon us, so here are 13 things to do before 30 June to help you minimise your tax!

1. Superannuation contributions

Individuals might be able to make tax-deductible personal contributions to superannuation to reduce their taxable income. Superannuation contributions are limited to $30,000 per year for persons under 50 as at 30/6/15, and $35,000 for persons’ age 50 to 75. Any contributions in excess of these limits can be taxed at a rate of up to 49%, plus an excess contribution charge.

Please contact us to verify that you can comply with all the eligibility criteria for this deduction, including satisfying the 10% test, meaning that less than 10% of the total of your income for the year must be in respect of your employment. For the purposes of this test, income is assessable income plus a range of other items such as reportable fringe benefits plus reportable employer superannuation contributions.

2. Ownership of investments

A longer term tax planning strategy can be reviewing the ownership of your investments. Any change of ownership needs to be carefully planned in relation to any capital gains tax and stamp duty implications. Please seek advice from us prior to making any changes.

Investments may be owned by a Family Trust, which has the key advantage of providing flexibility in distributing income on an annual basis and an ability for up to $416 per year to be distributed to children or grandchildren tax-free.

3. Property Depreciation Report

If you have an investment property, a Property Depreciation Report (prepared by a Quantity Surveyor) will allow you to claim depreciation and capital works deductions on capital items within the property. The cost of a report is generally recouped several times over by the tax savings in the first year of property ownership.

4. Motor Vehicle log book

Ensure that you have kept an accurate and complete Motor Vehicle Log Book for at least a 12-week period. The start date for the 12-week period must be on or before 30 June 2016. You should make a record of your odometer reading as at 30 June 2016, and keep all receipts/invoices for your motor vehicle expenses. Once prepared, a log book can be used for a 5-year period should the nature of the travel, type of vehicle and business use percentage not alter.

5. Prepay expenses and interest

Expenses relating to investment activities can be prepaid before 30 June 2016. You can prepay up to 12 months of interest before 30 June on a loan for a property or share investment and claim a tax deduction this financial year.

6. Sacrifice salary to Super

If your marginal tax rate is 19% or more, salary sacrifice can be a great way to boost your superannuation and pay less tax. By putting pre-tax salary into super rather than having it taxed as normal income at your marginal rate you may save tax. This can be especially beneficial for employees nearing their retirement age.

7. Insurance premiums

Possibly your greatest financial asset is your ability to earn an income. Income protection insurance replaces up to 75% of your salary if you are unable to work due to sickness or an accident. The insurance premium is generally tax deductible, plus you get the benefit of protecting your family’s lifestyle if you cannot work due to sickness or an accident. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. Similar to rental property interest, income protection premiums can also be pre-paid for 12 months to increase your deductions.

We offer competitive premiums via our financial planning business, UNICA Wealth.

8. Work related expenses

Don’t forget to keep any receipts for work-related expenses such as uniforms, training courses and learning materials, as these may be deductible for tax purposes.

9. Realise Capital Losses

Tax is normally payable on any capital gains. You should consider selling any non-performing investments you hold before 30 June to crystallise a capital loss and reduce or even eliminate any potential capital gains tax liability. Unused capital losses can be carried forward to offset future capital gains.

10. Defer investment income & capital gains

If practical, arrange for the receipt of Investment Income (e.g. interest on term deposits) and the Contract Date for the sale of Capital assets, to occur after 30 June 2016.

The Contract Date is generally the key date for working out when a sale or purchase occurred, not the settlement date. This applies also for access to the 50% general discount on Capital Gains Tax.

11. Qualify for a Government Co-Contribution

If your total income is less than $50,454 you may be eligible for a super co-contribution from the Federal Government. For each dollar in personal after-tax super contributions, the Government will contribute from 50 cents up to a maximum of $500 for those earning less than $35,454. For the purposes of this test, total income is assessable income plus reportable fringe benefits plus reportable employer superannuation contributions, less allowable business deductions. Please contact us to verify that you can meet all the eligibility criteria for the Government Co-Contribution.

12. Debt Optimisation

Reviewing and optimising the way in which your debt is structured can result in significant savings. We can introduce you to our referral partner for a no obligation review, including a home loan heath check.

13. Superannuation and Investment Review

Have you reviewed the performance of your superannuation and investments lately?

Do you know if the investment platform for your super is optimal for your circumstances?

Do you have appropriate insurances for life’s unexpected events?

Are your investments outside super appropriate for your current and future needs?

We can introduce you to one of our team at UNICA Wealth for a no-obligation chat.

 

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2016 Tax Planning for Personal & Families

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