Moore Stephens is proud to announce that James Fitzgerald, Senior Accountant, won the Young Accountant of the Year award at the 2017 Australian Accounting Awards, partnered by Thomson Reuters.

Finding the perfect property isn’t always easy, and as the colder months approach, the number of homes available for purchase starts to subside. The reduction in house stock can swing the pendulum to favour the seller as buyers fight for the smaller number of properties.

The Budget sees the Government place emphasis on generating ongoing employment opportunities for all Australians.

Rental property investors have access to a range of tax strategies. One such strategy, which is often underutilised, is claiming depreciation as a tax deduction.

Property expenses, such as depreciation and capital works expenditure, can be deducted over a number years, adding to a significant return for property investors come tax time.
 

Moore Stephens is proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for the prestigious Australian Accounting Awards, partnered by Thomson Reuters.
 

Over the past month soaring property values have seen landlords hit by steep increases in landlord taxes.

A number of landlords, property owners and lessors have been shocked when confronted with sharp increases in land tax bills this month.

The State Revenue Office (SRO) argues that 2016 was a revaluation year, which means your site value will most likely increase in 2017.
 

Working for yourself has many perks and rewards, however, when it comes to applying for a home loan, being your own boss often sends up a red flag to banks and other lenders. Why? A salaried employee has a regular, steady income and is less likely to experience the cash flow volatility of a small business owner, contractor, entrepreneur, tradesperson or freelancer.

Being proactive and accessing specialist advice, self-employed applicants can also enjoy a successful and hassle-free road to securing a home loan.

It is vital for those with a self-managed super fund (SMSF) to carry out the necessary checks before purchasing a property in their SMSF, especially where borrowing is involved.

Our experienced advisors have listed a number of checks to consider before purchasing a property with your SMSF.

When will owners of plant and equipment and other commercial assets who allow others to hold or use their property realise they need to do a PPSR registration if they want to protect themselves? Despite repeated warnings about the risk of not registering and a number of court decisions that have made the situation clear, it appears that the message that owners need to register their security interests on the PPSR is still not getting through.

The recent WA Supreme Court decision of Flown Pty Ltd v Goldrange Pty Ltd 2016 WASC 419 has once again has highlighted the problem. The case involved a commercial lease situation and certain plant and equipment that was “owned” by the lessor that were on the leased premises. The lessor had earlier provided a loan of $460k to the Lessee for the purchase of the plant and equipment that was secured by the plant and equipment and guaranteed by the directors of the lessee.

It may be hard to believe but we’re almost on the home straight of what has felt like the longest election campaign in recent history. And while both of the major parties have unveiled a number of policies over the past two months on key issues ranging from higher education, to innovation, penalty rates – and of course, “jobs and growth” – one of the most debated and divisive policies continues to be the government’s proposed changes to superannuation.

2016 has seen markets across the US, Eurozone & Asia suffer losses in excess of 5% and up to 14% while Australian Shares have fallen over 6%. This has seen markets fall to levels seen throughout the second half of 2015. Concerns are centred around the Chinese economy, the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates and the impact of the rising US dollar against the falling Chinese Renminbi. The falling oil price has also effected markets and has again raised concerns over emerging markets.