Tax Time Keeping you safe at tax time The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning taxpayers to keep an eye out at this time of year for people posing as tax agents who are not registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB). ATO assistant commissioner Karen Foat is concerned about a number of people claiming to be tax agents, often promising refunds that sound too good to be true, or providing discounted services much cheaper than legitimate registered tax agents. “These unregistered preparers pretend to offer legitimate services to the community but in reality they pose a serious threat not only to the people that use them but to the broader community and the tax system as a whole,� Ms Foat said. “Unfortunately, we see too many instances where people have unwittingly used an unregistered preparer, which has resulted in a significant tax debt
and loss of money. We also see instances where people do not receive their refund or where fraudulent claims are lodged in their name without their knowledge.� Unregistered preparers often use a taxpayer's personal login details to access their ATO online account through myGov to lodge tax returns. A legitimate tax practitioner will never ask for your myGov credentials – they use dedicated ATO online services to lodge returns for their clients. “To protect yourself and keep your personal information safe, it is important to check with the TPB to see if an agent is registered. You can easily check an agent’s registration online at www.tpb.gov.au. Remember, only registered tax agents can charge a fee to prepare and lodge your tax return,� Ms Foat said.
Trilogy Tax for all your your accounting needs
Accountants & Tax Agents Shop 9, Landsborough Shopping Village Locally Owned and Operated Since 2002
Amy, Katrina and staff look forward to assisting you!
Services include: Financial Statements & Tax Returns:
Businesses of all sizes including Partnerships, Trusts, Companies Self
managed super funds
Individuals
(07) 5494 1133
Shop 9, Landsborough Shopping Village Extended ce Hours (July to Sept) : Monday to Friday 8.30am - 6.00pm Ordinar ce Hours: Tuesday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm (a er hours by appointment)
The team at Trilogy Tax, based in the converted church opposite the Maleny primary school, is able to look after all your business and personal accounting and tax needs. Business owner Bob Jarvis is a qualified accountant and taxation professional with 30 years of accounting experience behind him. He bought the business four years ago. Bob works with a team of four local staff as well as two contractors who look after specialised work for their clients. Bob, who has a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise, is joined by Patricia (Trish) Edwards, also a qualified accountant with 40 years of experience including particular expertise in helping small to medium businesses, companies, trusts and partnerships. Between them they are able to provide a full suite of accounting services and their clients are able to tap into their knowledge and feel confident that they are being well advised in all areas of financial management. They are able to not just prepare and lodge tax returns but they can sit down with business owners to go through each BAS to assess and review their business practices and offer business advice to assist clients in achieving their financial goals. A key area of focus is to assist clients in establishing and managing super funds, companies, trusts and all aspects of small business. Book keeper Brett Jarvis is currently studying accounting, is Xero qualified and experienced with MYOB, and receptionist Kym McLaughlin also does book keeping as well as ASIC and business registrations. If you would like to arrange an appointment give them a call on 5499 9973, email admin@trilogytax.com.au or drop in to their office at 15 Bunya Street, Maleny.
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9-5 Monday - Friday Evenings & Saturdays by Appointment 15 Bunya Street, Maleny old church building - opp Primary School
Phone 5499 9973 admin@trilogytax.com.au www.trilogytax.com.au
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Glasshouse Country & Maleny News
How to nail your return The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has revealed some of the most common mistakes people make at tax time. Assistant commissioner Karen Foat said that errors ranged from honest mistakes to people deliberately over claiming to increase their refund. For example, incorrect work-related expense claims have been highlighted as one of the key drivers of the $8.7 billion tax gap generated by individuals not in business. If you want to nail your tax return this tax time, here are the top four mistakes to avoid: 1. Lodging before all your prefill data is available or failing to report all your income “People can lodge now if they have all of the information they need to do their returns accurately,� Ms Foat said. 2. Claiming the wrong thing Work-related expenses is one area where people commonly make mistakes. To help you work out what you can claim, the ATO has developed 30 occupation guides and accompanying posters for specific occupations (www.ato.gov.au/occupations). Remember, when claiming a deduction for work-related expenses follow the three golden rules - you spent the money yourself and have not been reimbursed; the claim must be directly related to earning your income; and you must have a record to prove it. You can only claim the work-related portion of expenses. 3. Forgetting to keep receipts The ATO refuses a large percentage of claims where taxpayers are unable to produce records or receipts when asked. Even if the value of a claim is below the record-keeping threshold, the ATO may ask you to show how you calculated your claim. 4. Claiming for something never paid for Ms Foat said the ATO often saw people making claims at the record-keeping limit thinking that the ATO would never question a claim if a receipt was not required. “But you still need to have spent the money yourself and be able to show us how you’ve worked out your claim," she said. “If you can’t explain it, we won’t accept it, and we may penalise you for failing to take care when lodging your tax return."
Maximise your tax refund. Book now! “PRAGMATIC ADVICE, WORLDLY WISDOM� When it comes to your taxes and financial advice, seek grey hair experience and wisdom over youthful exuberance. Your locally owned accounting business offering tax return preparation and planning, accounting and business advisory services.
ĚÍ—6ȖȾʀƸ͗ ƹƹȾʀȪɰǞȪDz ĚÍ—Ĺ›Ç€ÉœČľÍ—6Ç€ÉœÉ°ÇžÇ°ÇžÇ€Ć¸Í— Ć¸Ę—ÇžÉ¤Ç€ÉœÉ¤ ĚÍ—Ă—Ę—Ç€ÉœÍ—Ë•Ë—Í—ĘŁÇ€ĹşÉœÉ¤Í’Í—Ç€Ę˘É™Ç€ÉœÇžÇ€ČŞĆąÇ€ Glasshouse Country Accounting & Advisory Pty Ltd trading as W.D. Hall & Associates
9/21 Peachester Road Beerwah QLD 4519
(07) 5494 0566 1300 WDHALL admin@wdhallaccountants.com.au
www.wdhallaccountants.com.au
Tax Time 2019 You will have heard that Scott Morrison is giving a $1,080 tax refund for all individuals who have earnt between $48,000 and $90,000. That is up to $1,080 in tax back. Call your friendly team at Hinterland Accounting Services today on 5439 0188 so that we can lodge your return and get your refund paid into your bank account now!
What should I bring to my appointment? The ATO is checking more information than ever before so please make sure all receipts/invoices are kept and all log books completed accurately.
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1/13 Turner St, Beerwah 5439 0188 8.30am-5.30pm – Monday to Friday | admin@hintertax.com.au Glasshouse Country & Maleny News
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