Understanding the Main Residence Exemption
The capital gain tax exemption (CGT) on your principal place of residence (PPR) is one of the most valuable CGT concessions available to Australian homeowners. It can allow you to completely disregard a capital gain made on the sale of your family home. But what happens if you move out your PPR and rent it out or leave it vacant?
A Broken Promise for Broken Super
OK, lets start by getting one thing clear. Saying things like “We’ve said we have no intention of making any super changes” during an election campaign, and then making changes less than 12 months later, is clearly a broken election promise.
Am I taxed on an insurance payout?
Australia has had its fair share of disasters over the last few years – drought, bushfires and floods – that have ramped up the volume of insurance claims. Most people would assume that if and when they need to claim on their insurance, the insurance payout covers the damage and is not income assessed for tax purposes - but this is not always the case.
Acquiring collectables inside your SMSF
Clients with self-managed superannuation funds (SMSF) often ask what assets the SMSF can acquire.
‘Why’?
The golden rule for acquiring assets inside your SMSF is why? To be compliant, your fund must be maintained for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits to members, or to their dependants if a member dies before retirement. The sole purpose test (section 62 of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993), is your starting point. If the collectible you are looking to acquire does not fulfil this purpose, then you have an immediate problem.