By Kimberley Noah ([email protected]), Lawyer, and Daniel Butler ([email protected]), Director Introduction The GST withholding regime (‘Withholding Regime’) was introduced on 1 July 2018 to collect GST from foreign vendors, but has much broader application. GST is typically a vendor responsibility. However, under the Withholding Regime, purchasers of certain residential property must withhold GST from the [read more]
By Allison Murphy, Lawyer ([email protected]), and William Fettes, Senior Associate ([email protected]), DBA Lawyers The limited recourse borrowing arrangement (‘LRBA’) lending market has undergone a significant shift in recent years, with most first-tier bank lenders withdrawing their LRBA offerings for purchasers of residential property. As a result, several smaller second-tier lenders have emerged to fill the [read more]
By Bryce Figot, Special Counsel ([email protected]), and Daniel Butler, Director ([email protected]), DBA Lawyers Introduction There has been a number of commentators suggesting that if a pension reversion nomination conflicts with a binding death benefit nomination (‘BDBN’), the pension reversion nomination prevails. While we acknowledge the answer is not necessarily black and white; as it depends [read more]
Daniel Butler, Director ([email protected]), and Bryce Figot, Special Counsel ([email protected]), DBA Lawyers Many advisers do not foresee the potential flow-on legal consequences from merely providing an investment strategy template to an SMSF client. Indeed, many believe they are merely assisting their client particularly to ensure the SMSF will have the necessary paperwork to survive an [read more]
By Kimberley Noah ([email protected]), Lawyer When winding up a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (‘LRBA’), appropriate documentation is required. Broadly, an SMSF trustee has the right to acquire legal ownership of an LRBA asset (ie, from the relevant custodian/bare trustee) after the loan is fully repaid. Refer to s 67A(1)(c) of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act [read more]
On Wednesday 20 November 2019 DBA Network is holding a special, once-off SMSF Succession Planning Day (face-to-face). It will provide a practical, step-by-step guide on how to ensure that a member’s SMSF benefits are appropriately dealt with upon their incapacity or death. It is designed for financial planners, accountants, auditors, SMSF administrators and lawyers who want [read more]
Daniel Butler, Director ([email protected]), and Bryce Figot, Special Counsel ([email protected]), DBA Lawyers This article provides some background and some key points to SMSF investment strategies. What is an investment strategy? An investment strategy is a plan for making, holding and realising assets consistent with the investment objectives adopted by an SMSF trustee. An investment strategy [read more]
By Kimberley Noah ([email protected]), Lawyer, and William Fettes ([email protected]), Senior Associate Introduction The $1.6 million transfer balance cap (‘TBC’) imposes a limit on the total amount that a fund member can transfer into an exempt (retirement phase) pension. The TBC was introduced with effect from 1 July 2017 with the intention of making the tax [read more]
By Daniel Butler ([email protected]), Director DBA Lawyers As one of a number of ‘housing affordability’ measures where superannuation is seeking to encourage housing affordability, downsizer contributions were introduced from 1 July 2018 to allow those aged 65 or over to sell their main residence and make up to a $300,000 contribution to superannuation or $600,000 [read more]
By Bryce Figot, Special Counsel, DBA Lawyers and Daniel Butler, Director There is a misconception that reversionary pension documentation will always apply before a binding death benefit nomination. If the SMSF deed is silent on the question, it can be entirely possible at times that the binding death benefit nomination (‘BDBN’) will apply before any [read more]
