August 2014 Issue 96

On 5 June 2014 the ACT Government introduced the Payroll Tax Amendment Bill 2014 that will remove the "genuine employer" payroll tax exemption on wages paid to subcontractors by employment agents and payroll agencies (collectively ""agencies"). The bill was originally slated to commence on 1 July 2014, however the Commissioner for ACT Revenue acknowledged this date would have been challenging...

The recent Senate Economics References Committee enquiry into the performance of ASIC has made recommendations to government in relation to Australia's insolvency laws regarding corporate restructure and reorganisation. The Committee took the view that greater provision should be made for access to measures to 'encourage and facilitate corporate turnarounds'. Particular reference was made in submissions to the Committee to US...

In the previous article, I mentioned Receipt Bank, an online tool that has revolutionised the bookkeeping/accounting industry. Now, I will take this opportunity to go into detail about its full features which can help you to reduce your bookkeeping costs and achieve a paperless office. Traditionally, a bookkeeper was considered as one who performed monotonous tasks such as data entry...

Thinking about buying or building a property? Building insurance is likely just one thing on your long 'To Do' list - but as it's so important, should you make it number one? Understanding the hidden costs Whether the property you're about to purchase is a home or an investment, if it's severely damaged or destroyed down the track, the costs...

With the start of the financial year we see the payroll tax threshold increase to $1.85m for the 2014/2015 financial year (up from $1.75m) in the ACT. Payroll tax is payable by an employer if its total taxable wages, or the total taxable wages of the group that it belongs to, exceed the threshold. This tax is levied at 6.85%...

Vincents Chartered Accountants might not be a name you are familiar with, but a dedicated team of Canberra professionals is changing that. Going more commonly by their shortened name of simply 'Vincents' (the name of its founding and still current director Paul Vincent), the firm is a multi-BRW award winner and has captured the lion's share of the forensic and...

Executing an effective competency based interview is not straightforward, and involves careful forethought and planning, and sometimes even a little bit of practice. According to HorizonOne's David Harrington, not only is it important to be well prepared, but you need to tailor questions to the technical and behavioural competencies of the role, as well as the specific 'unknowns' you want...

SRC Solutions is an injury prevention and injury management company based in Canberra. It offers workplace assessments, training to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace, case management services, work health and safety services and workplace rehabilitation advice. Its clients are mostly government-based. Louise Hughes, CEO of SRC Solutions, said, "SRC Solutions came into existence 17 years ago when...

Owner/operator Kane Farrow and his chefs are passionate about many things including their new menu released this month. Liz Lang visits Mood Food & Co in the bustling hipster haven of Braddon to find out more. Located in the Mode 3 Building on Lonsdale Street, the modern Australian restaurant is easily identified from the street by its colour-wash of lime...

"Better performance at a cheaper cost is a great combination" The Catholic Education Office faced a huge challenge when it set out to find a new IT solution to support its 59 schools, with 24,476 students across 88,000 square kilometres in both the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales. As with most organisations, the Catholic Education Office faced the...

On 14 May 2014, the ACT Legislative Assembly amended the Family Provision Act 1969 to reduce the time for making a family provision claim from 12 months to 6 months after probate is granted. The Family Provision Act allows certain categories of people to challenge a Will after a person's death if they feel that they have not been adequately...

More certainty in the private sector has seen job vacancies rise, but employers attempting to secure the top talent walk a fine line between balancing cost pressure with the ability to make a competitive salary offer. Jim Roy, Regional Director of recruiting experts Hays, looks at current salary and recruiting trends from the annual Hays Salary Guide. Cuts to bureaucratic...