Xero improves bulk changes to invoice reminders

Last week Xero released an enhancement to their invoice reminders. The release allows you to bulk-select groups of invoices to switch reminders on or off from the main Invoicing list.

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3 Tips to Update Your Business Plan for the New Year

What’s your New Year’s Resolution: “stay fit”, “stress less”, “save more”? The New Year is a welcome opportunity for some personal reflection and goal setting, but are you making any resolutions to help make your business better than ever? January is a great time to consider your business goals and to plan what you’d like to achieve in the coming twelve months.

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Tax and the sharing economy

There are more and more sharing economy, or collaborative consumption, websites and apps hitting the market in Australia and they are making their way from the big cities into the Tasmanian market. With the holiday season upon us, short-term vacation rentals through apps like Airbnb and Stayz will be in full swing. And now that Uber has arrived in Hobart – just in time for the silly season – Tasmanians and our tourists are embracing the ride-sourcing phenomenon.

But before you decide to rent your house out for summer with Airbnb or earn some extra money driving for Uber, you need to consider the tax implications – you may need to pay GST and income tax on your earnings and you may be liable for CGT down the track.

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Top 3 stresses for business owners & how to manage them

We all know that, left unchecked, stress can grind down your passion and undermine your performance – not to mention, take a serious toll on your physical and mental health. So when you consider the pressures of starting and running a business it seems wise to add effective stress-management to the list of skills you need to develop to build and sustain a successful business.

Everybody experiences stress sometimes. But it is possible to stop stress from derailing your productivity, profits, and overall well-being. Follow these practical tips to avoid the main causes of “business-owner stress.”

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Considering a change of structure for your small business?

The final tranche of 2015 small business budget announcements have made it into law, now expanding the tax relief available for small businesses to change the legal structure of their business. This new arrangement is designed to provide greater flexibility for small businesses to change legal structures without incurring an immediate CGT liability, and allowing it to defer CGT to a later point in time.

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What is the right legal structure for your business?

Choosing a business structure can be tricky. How you choose to legally structure your business can have many tax, legal and financial implications.

There are four commonly used legal business structures in Australia: sole trader, partnership, company and trust. The advantage and disadvantages of each should be carefully considered before you decide which one is best for you.

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Can you use business assets for yourself?

Is there a problem with using your company’s assets for yourself? Assets that belong to your business, but which are used for your own benefit or enjoyment, can potentially trigger a tax issue known as “Division 7A”.

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Your business structure: from sole trader to company

Choosing the right structure for your business is a consideration that is not only important from the start, but as your business grows and develops. Here we look at the basic differences between operating under the simplest of structures compared to the most complex business structure.

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Employers: Beware “left-field” FBT liabilities

It is generally understood that for fringe benefits tax (FBT) to apply, the benefits paid are usually in respect of an employment relationship. In other words, a ‘payment’ (other than salary or wages) made, or benefit provided, to somebody because they are an employee.

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Tax and online fraud: protect yourself and your business

Since July this year, scams targeting both individual and business taxpayers have been running rife.

From fake Tax Office “delayed return” or “proof of identity” emails to telephone calls conveying similar requests, taxpayers have had to keep their guard up.  So how can individuals and businesses protect themselves from online fraud and crime?

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