Until 4 April this year, SMSF trustees with limited recourse borrowings that were ending were faced with a problem. With the loan paid off, there was the prospect of being forced to transfer the asset to the SMSF trustee. The fear had been that to keep the asset inside the trust would give rise to [read more]
Overview This article provides a brief summary of the excess contributions tax (‘ECT’) regime. It also summarises the latest developments including the May 2014 Federal Budget announcement, the latest statistical information and covers several key recommendations made by the Inspector-General of Taxation (‘IGT’). Brief summary The ECT regime was introduced in July 2007 as a [read more]
Introduction Those who have suffered loss as a result of defective ATO administration may be eligible to claim compensation from the ATO. Such compensation will only be available in limited circumstances, and knowing when to enquire about the options can be a real ‘value add’ for clients. This article outlines what you need to know [read more]
The trustee of a regulated superannuation fund is prohibited from lending money to a member of the fund (and/or a member’s relatives). However, what if the trustee lends to a related company of which the member is the sole director and shareholder? Subject to proper structuring this can be a viable strategy and even has [read more]
Comedian George Burns continued to work until shortly before his death, in 1996, at the age of 100. Presumably he was working for love and not money. Certainly he was not working for super, because he could not have had contributions made to his fund under the legislation that then existed. That has been the [read more]
By Daniel Butler, Director, and Bryce Figot, Director, both of DBA Lawyers The ATO has confirmed that contribution reserving is a viable strategy. The ATO has issued an interpretative decision (‘ID’) ATO ID 2012/16 relating to contribution reserving up to 30 June 2013 and a tax determination (‘TD’) TD 2013/22 in respect of contributions made [read more]
Australian Taxation Office Interpretative Decision ATO ID 2014/7 provides the latest on the rules regarding keeping SMSF assets separate. It suggests the position is very strict. However, a deeper technical analysis reveals there might often be some ‘flexibility’. This article concludes that the critical practical implication is that each SMSF should have a sole purpose [read more]
I’ve just presented at the SPAA National Conference in Brisbane. It’s been fantastic as usual and SPAA should be congratulated on another job well done in organising such a great conference. I’ve made available the paper that accompanied my presentation. You can download a PDF version here Alternatively, the full text of the paper is [read more]
Since 2010 I’ve been lecturing at Melbourne University, presenting the SMSF component of the Master of Laws subject ‘Superannuation Law‘. Melbourne University is my ‘alma mater’. I fully enjoyed studying there for my undergraduate degrees and masters degree and I’m always very happy to be able to give back to the legal community. I’m lecturing [read more]
Introduction The recent of decision of Gutteridge and Commissioner of Taxation [2013] AATA 947 has huge implications for SMSFs when considering and control of a 50–50 unit trust and the in-house asset rules. The decision was handed down on 24 December 2013. It can be seen as an early Christmas present from the Administrative Appeals [read more]
