As 30 June rapidly approaches, taxpayers and their advisors face not knowing whether a 30% or 27.5% tax rate applies to certain companies for the 2018 income year.

The new Franchising Code of Conduct (FCC) regime commenced on 1 January 2015 with the aim of updating franchising laws in Australia, including assisting franchisees in positions of weaker bargaining power. 

The new financial year will bring in a number of changes to the property industry.  Developers need to plan for these changes to ensure compliance and avoid any delays or other adverse implications once the amendments take effect.

The Fair Work Commission (Commission) have today determined that it is appropriate to increase modern award minimum wages by 3.5 per cent, raising the national minimum wage to $24.30 a week. The new changes come into effect from 1 July 2018.

The Commissioner of Taxation (Commissioner) has power pursuant to section 255-15(1) of Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (TAA) to permit a taxpayer to pay off its tax debts by instalments in accordance with a payment arrangement. The recent Federal Court decision of Stojic v Deputy Commissioner of Taxation [2018] FCA 483 (Stojic), which dismissed an application by the sole director and shareholder of the taxpayer company to review a decision by the Commissioner to decline to exercise that power, provides two important lessons.   

Amongst the tidal wave of criticism of the financial planning industry in the wake of the royal commission, education and ethical standards is one area a new amendment to the Corporations Act will seek to address from 1 January 2019.  

On 29 March 2018 the Treasury Laws Amendment (2018 Measures No. 1) Act amending the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (the Act) received Royal Assent.

The Federal Government’s 2018 Budget contained much less change for the superannuation sector than previous years.

A key focus of the Federal Budget was on personal income tax cuts, and measures aimed at large companies and the black economy.

Notable global intellects Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking both openly cautioned about the risks to humanity posed by AI technologies.

The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission handed down an important decision on 26 March 2018, confirming that it will grant award covered employees an entitlement to unpaid family and domestic violence leave.

On 8 February 2018, the Government released for public consultation exposure draft legislation to implement the 2017 Budget announcement to improve the  integrity of the small business capital gains tax (CGT) concessions.

Parents must carefully consider their ongoing responsibility for school fees after divorce.

The cost of private secondary school fees – along with those at the primary schools that act as feeders for them – can cause complications even in intact relationships. When couples are separating or divorced, the question of who is responsible for what percentage of school fees can become significantly complex.

‘Climate-related risks’ have moved from a corporate buzzword to an actionable obligation for company directors, who should consider these risks in the context of their organisation and understand that a failure to act with regards to a climate-related risk can result in a contravention of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)  (Act).

I was intrigued by the high level numbers coming out of the Australian Corporate Counsel report '2017 Benchmarks and Leading Practices' on what in-house teams were spending their money on.

Player safety, fairness, and the integrity and composition of sport are all vital factors to consider in the creation and implementation of effective sport policies and procedures. Clear policies as part of a club’s governance framework provide a club, association or sport generally with guidelines to decision-making, and are an important step to mitigating potential risks that may arise.

On 12 March 2018 the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 commenced in Victoria.

For the third year in a row Harwood Andrews has been recognised as an innovator and leader in the Australasian legal profession with their nomination as a finalist in the 2017 Australasian Law Awards.

Harwood Andrews recently held an event at the Geelong Library titled Property development - topical tax and commercial issues.

At the SMSF National Conference we heard James O’Halloran, Deputy Commissioner of Superannuation give a speech outlining the areas of focus for the balance of the financial year. The speech confirmed that a key component of the ATO is education to prevent breaches before they occur, especially in light of the recent superannuation reforms, but with some specific enforcement priorities.