A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review by Bain & Co suggests that the pandemic has widened the productivity gap between top performing companies and others stating, “Some have remained remarkably productive during the Covid-era, capitalizing on the latest technology to collaborate effectively and efficiently.
Fringe benefits tax (FBT) is one of Australia’s most disliked taxes because it’s cumbersome and generates a lot of paperwork. The COVID-19 lockdowns have added another layer of complexity as many work patterns and behaviours changed.
Are you employing more staff? Find out about the eligibility for the JobMaker Hiring Credit including the Employer Eligibility Criteria, Employee Eligibility Criteria and the Job Creation eligibility Criteria.
The Victorian State Government’s 2020 Budget has delivered an unprecedented infrastructure investment to drive the State’s recovery, with its centerpiece an ambitious jobs plan aimed at creating 400,000 jobs by 2025, half of them by 2022.
At the recent Senate Estimates hearing, Jeremy Hirschhorn, the ATO’s Second Commissioner, stated that $120 million in JobKeeper payments had been clawed back from those either deliberately seeking to rort the system or who had made reckless mistakes
If your company has made a loss, you may be able to claim a tax refund for tax previously paid on profits.
Stimulating investment is high on the Government’s agenda. To encourage spending, the 2020-21 Budget introduced a measure that allows businesses with turnover under $5bn* to immediately deduct the cost of new depreciable assets and the cost of improvements to existing assets in the first year of use. This means that an asset’s cost will be fully deductible in the year it’s installed ready for use, rather than being claimed over the asset’s life. And, there is no cap on the cost of the asset.
JobMaker is a credit available to eligible businesses for hiring additional employees (not if you are merely replacing someone who left). The hiring credit is available for jobs created from 7 October 2020 until 6 October 2021.
On 6 October 2020 Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered the Federal Budget for the 2020-2021 income year.
It is fair to say it will be remembered as Australia’s biggest spending budget with a forecast deficit of $214 billion for the 2021 fiscal year.
The Government has announced an extension of the JobKeeper scheme to the 28th of March 2021. There will be a new test for eligibility and payment rates will reduce.
Employers need to ensure that they identify all additional employees who could be eligible for JobKeeper to ensure that they comply with the "one in, all in" principle and that they meet the nomination requirements.
To understand the value of a business, the pandemic necessitates a depth of investigation beyond the norm. You cannot simply ignore the pandemic and rely on pre-pandemic performance and financials, even if you are enthusiastic about the future
Businesses fail (or fail to thrive) for a myriad of reasons, but the precursor is often a failure to understand what is occurring and what to monitor. Strategically, managers need to be on top of their numbers to identify and manage problems before they get out of hand. If you do not know what the key drivers of your business are - the things that make the difference between doing well and going under - then it’s time to find out.
Due to Stage 4 restrictions, we will all be working from home as of tomorrow - Thursday 6 August 2020.
Please rest assured we can still be contacted on our normal office number and email addresses. If you are unsure of who to email please email info@lmp.com.au or contact your regular team member.
What you need to know about JobSeeker and other support.
The second tranche of the JobKeeper scheme changes the eligibility test for employers and the method and amount paid to employees.
The Government has announced the $2.5bn JobTrainer package to retrain, upskill and open new job opportunities.
For some employers, JobKeeper will not be enough to keep the employee employed. If you do need to let staff go, the ATO has stated that from JobKeeper fortnights from 8 June onwards until the end of the scheme, ETPs cannot be included as part of the $1,500 an employer needs to pay to eligible employees to access JobKeeper payments.
Two major Australian Taxation Office (ATO) initiatives are searching out fraud and schemes designed to take advantage of the Government’s Coronavirus Economic Response Package.
From 1 July 2020, parents accessing the Government’s parental leave pay (PPL) scheme will have greater flexibility and options.
Targeting the self-employed and small business owners, the changes introduce a new flexible paid parental leave pay period of 30 days.
Previously, new parents could apply for PPL for a continuous block of up to 18 weeks. The changes split this time period into two:
A continuous period of up to 12 weeks, and
30 flexible days.
Parents can take the 18 weeks in one block or, under the new rules, take the 12 week period and then use the additional 30 days at a period and in a way that suits them but before the child turns 2 years of age. For example, assume that when Jane, who works five days per week, has a child, she initially claims 12 weeks. Jane returns to work part time for three days per week. In that case, Jane would apply to be paid parental leave pay on the two days per week that she is not working.
The administration of the PPL will change in some scenarios. For Jane’s case above, the employer would administer the scheme for the first 12 weeks but then the Government would directly pay Jane for her flexible days.
If an employee wishes to access flexible parental leave pay, they will need to negotiate time off work or a part time return to work with their employer. If the employer is unable to accommodate the request, then the employee may take the 18 weeks as one block.
The changes to the paid parental leave scheme apply to babies born on or after 1 July 2020. The scheme commences from 1 April 2020 to give parents applying for leave the flexibility to use the new arrangements (but only if their child is born on or after 1 July 2020).
