The experiments continue: R&D incentive design after Budget 2026
There is a quiet but profound shift embedded in the 2026 Budget’s R&D Tax Incentive (R&DTI) reforms. It is another hypothesis in a long-running policy experiment to define what innovation is, and how much of it Government should support. It goes well beyond rates, thresholds or offsets. Historically, the R&DTI has recognised that innovation is […]
ReadmoreBudget 2026: “Please sir, I want some more… enforcement powers”
Boards and management will face an increasingly muscular tax compliance and enforcement landscape, with heightened expectations around internal governance, record-keeping and advisor-oversight, following the Government’s Budget announcements about greater ATO powers. The Federal Government has put taxpayers on notice in its 2026 Budget, flagging its intention to continue to prioritise the detection and prevention of […]
ReadmoreAustralian entrepreneurship left in limbo whilst new trust rules kick the bucket
The Budget announcements regarding capital gains tax will, as currently announced, dramatically reduce the competitiveness of Australia’s innovation and start-up sector. The yet to be designed carve-outs for this new unsettled regime will be an invitation for talent and capital to migrate offshore if the exemptions do not preserve the existing maximum 23.5% tax rate […]
ReadmorePayday Super: Summary of key changes
On 1 July 2026, the Federal Government’s long-anticipated Payday Super reforms will come into effect, fundamentally altering the way employers meet their superannuation guarantee (SG) obligations. The reforms, enacted by the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Act 2025 (Cth) and associated legislation, replace the longstanding quarterly superannuation payment cycle with a requirement that it be […]
ReadmoreATO pivots to enforcement and penalties for STP breaches
The Australian Taxation Office has updated its website to announce a new draft Law Administration Practice Statement is coming on the administration of penalties that apply to employers or superannuation funds who fail to comply with Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting obligations. The ATO has said the draft title of the new PS LA is […]
ReadmoreNew draft ruling: Who is an employee, according to the ATO?
The ATO administers and enforces superannuation guarantee compliance under the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 (Cth) (SGAA). The ATO has released its updated (draft) ruling TR 2023/4 on ‘who is an employee’, to set out its view on who is an employee for superannuation guarantee purposes. The update to draft ruling TR 2023/4 is a […]
Readmore
