How to Reduce Your Tax

If you are on a lower income and earn at least 10% of your income from employment or carrying on a business and make a “non-concessional contribution” to super, you may be eligible for a Government co-contribution of up to $500.

In 2024, the maximum co-contribution is available if you contribute $1,000 and earn $43,445 or less. A lower amount may be received if you contribute less than $1,000 and/or earn between $43,445 and $58,445.

A longer-term tax planning strategy can be reviewing the ownership of your investments. Any change of ownership needs to be carefully planned due to capital gains tax and stamp duty implications. Please seek advice from your Accountant prior to making any changes.

Investments may be owned by a Family Trust, which has the key advantage of providing flexibility in distributing income on an annual basis and an ability for up to $416 per year to be distributed to children or grandchildren tax-free.

If you have an investment property, a Property Depreciation Report (prepared by a Quantity Surveyor) will allow you to claim depreciation and capital works deductions on capital items within the property and on the property itself. 

The cost of this report is generally recouped several times over by the tax savings in the first year of property ownership.

Ensure that you have kept an accurate and complete Motor Vehicle Logbook for at least a 12-week period. The start date for the 12-week period must be on or before 30 June 2024.

You should make a record of your odometer reading as at 30 June 2024 and keep all receipts/invoices for your motor vehicle expenses. Once prepared, a logbook can generally be used for a 5-year period. 

An alternative (with no logbook needed) is to simply claim up to 5,000 business kilometres (based on a reasonable estimate) using the cents per km method.

If your annual income is $45,000 or more, salary sacrifice can be a great way to boost your superannuation and pay less tax.

By putting pre-tax salary into super rather than having it taxed as normal income at your marginal rate you may save tax. This can be especially beneficial for employees nearing their retirement age.

Expenses relating to investment activities can be prepaid before 30 June 2024. You can prepay up to 12 months of interest before 30 June on a loan for a property or share investment and claim a tax deduction this financial year.

Also, other expenses in relation to your investments can be prepaid before 30 June, including rental property repairs, memberships, subscriptions, and journals.

Possibly your greatest financial asset is your ability to earn an income. Income Protection Insurance generally replaces up to 75% of your salary if you are unable to work due to sickness or an accident.

The insurance premium is normally tax deductible, plus you get the benefit of protecting your family’s lifestyle if you cannot work due to sickness or an accident.

It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. Like rental property interest, income protection premiums can also be pre-paid for 12 months to increase your deductions.

Don’t forget to keep any receipts for work-related expenses such as uniforms, training courses and learning materials, as these may be tax-deductible.

Tax is normally payable on any capital gains. You should consider selling any non-performing investments you hold before 30 June 2024 to crystallise a capital loss and reduce or even eliminate any potential capital gains tax liability.

Unused capital losses can be carried forward to offset future capital gains.

If practical, arrange for the receipt of Investment Income (e.g. interest on term deposits) and the Contract Date for the sale of Capital Gains assets, to occur AFTER 30 June 2024. 

The Contract Date (not the Settlement Date) is generally the key date for working out when a sale or purchase occurred.

You can read more about how to reduce your tax in our recent blogs:

Minimise Your Personal Tax – Your 2024 Tax Planning Guide

Minimise your Business Tax – Your 2024 Tax Planning Guide

Contact us before the 30 June 2024 deadline for assistance to reduce your tax!

This is general advice only and does not take into account your financial circumstances, needs and objectives. Before making any decision based on this document, you should assess your own circumstances or seek advice from your financial adviser and seek tax advice from your accountant. Information is current at the date of issue and may change.