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How will the First Home Super Saver Scheme work for SMSFs?

Daniel Butler ([email protected]), Director, DBA Lawyers For those who are interested in purchasing their first residential premises, the First Home Super Saver (‘FHSS’) Scheme may be an option worth exploring. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Reducing Pressure On Housing Affordability Measures No. 1) Bill 2017 (Cth) passed both houses on 7 December 2017, meaning the FHSS [read more]

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How will downsizer contributions work for SMSFs?

Daniel Butler ([email protected]), Director, DBA Lawyers To reduce pressure on housing affordability, downsizer contributions provide an incentive for super fund members aged 65 years or older to sell a main residence. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Reducing Pressure On Housing Affordability Measures No. 1) Bill 2017 (Cth), which introduces downsizer contributions, passed both houses on 7 [read more]

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Spousal contributions and contributions split

By Daniel Butler, Director, DBA Lawyers, and William Fettes, Senior Associate, DBA Lawyers Introduction There are a few different ways that individuals can contribute money into superannuation for the benefit of their spouse. Taking advantage of these contribution options can help spouses achieve parity in relation to their respective super account balances over time and [read more]

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Who is your relative for SMSF purposes and why is this relevant?

Daniel Butler, Director, DBA Lawyers It is important to understand who is an individual’s relative for superannuation law purposes as the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) (‘SISA’) imposes certain boundaries on an SMSF’s activities in relation to an individual’s relative or related party. There are two definitions of the term relative in the SISA. [read more]

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Why should you order trusts from DBA Lawyers?

By Daniel Butler, Director and Shaun Backhaus, Lawyer DBA Lawyers Introduction While DBA is recognised as Australia’s leading SMSF law firm, it is  also well known for it’s great depth of tax and trusts expertise. In particular, DBA Lawyers offers an excellent discretionary trust deed that is easy to read, provides great flexibility and reflects [read more]

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Limited recourse borrowing arrangements can use one bare trustee for multiple bare trusts

By Daniel Butler, Director, DBA Lawyers Introduction A common question we get asked when a client’s self managed superannuation fund (‘SMSF’) is undertaking a limited recourse borrowing arrangements (‘LRBA’) is whether there needs to be a separate bare trustee (usually a company) for each bare trust. The short answer is no. However, it is helpful [read more]

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Traps that turn your non-geared unit trust into an in house asset

By Daniel Butler, Director, DBA Lawyers A reg 13.22C non-geared unit trust (‘NGUT’) is not included as an in-house asset (‘IHA’) at the time of the initial investment provided certain criteria is met. Some trustees may think that they are investing in a reg 13.22C NGUT on the basis that the unit trust does not have [read more]

Unlocking potential and avoiding pitfalls in SMSF property development

Unlocking potential and avoiding pitfalls in SMSF property development

Some may think that property development in an SMSF contravenes superannuation law. However, that is overstating the position. There is no blanket ban on property development in SMSFs. Rather, like many investments an SMSF can make, the key to compliance is on how the investment occurs. Extreme caution should be exercised before and during, since [read more]

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Many strategies are based on the proportioning rule

Co-author by Daniel Butler, Director, DBA Lawyers Introduction We have had numerous queries about the proportioning rule over recent times. A common query is how does the proportioning rule apply and how do you calculate the tax free and taxable components in a superannuation benefit. This article is to assist you understand the fundamentals of [read more]