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Register your .au Domain!

The .au domain is the new, general purpose, shorter Australian domain name option. If you do not register the direct match of your existing domain for the direct .au domain, you risk your brand equity being consumed by someone else, rivals redirecting your clients to their products and services, squatters holding the domain, or cybercriminals […]

120% Deduction for Skills Training and Technology Costs

An election ago, the 2022-23 Budget proposed a 120% tax deduction for expenditure by small and medium businesses on technology, or skills and training for their staff. This proposal has now been adopted by the current Government and details released in recent exposure draft by Treasury. Timing Two investment ‘boosts’ will be available to small […]

Acquiring collectibles inside your SMSF

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 […]

How to sell your Business

There are two key components at play in the sale of a business: structuring the transaction; and positioning the business to the market. Both elements are important and can significantly impact your result. Structuring the transaction covers areas such as pricing the business, the terms and conditions attaching to the sale, key terms in the […]

6 Benefits of Outsourcing Payroll

Running a business effectively requires overseeing a range of tasks that need to be performed both regularly and effectively. For businesses with multiple staff, payroll is one of the most costly and time-consuming tasks for an organisation. Here are 6 benefits of outsourcing payroll duties to an experienced professional services firm: 1. Time Management Outsourcing […]

Buying a Franchise

Failure rates for start-up businesses approximate 60% within the first 5 years of operations. Conversely, failure rates for businesses with franchise system support is much lower. Consequently, many new business operators turn to the support and assistance along with a tried-and-true product delivered by a franchise system. Despite this, buying a business can be risky […]

FBT Free Electric Cars

We explore who can access the concession and how. Electric vehicles (EV) represent just under 2% of the new car market in Australia but it is a rapidly growing sector with a 62.3% jump in new EV registrations between 2020 and 2021. Making EVs FBT-free is just the first step in the Government’s plan to […]

Can I claim my Crypto losses?

The first point to understand is that gains and losses from crypto are only reported in your tax return when you dispose of it – you sell it, convert it to fiat currency, exchange it for another type of asset, buy something with it, etc. You cannot recognise market fluctuations or claim a loss because […]

How high will interest rates go?

The RBA lifted the cash rate to 1.85% in early August 2022. The increase comes a few weeks after Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe told the Australian Strategic Business Forum that “…we’re going through a process now of steadily increasing interest rates, and there’s more of that to come. We’ve got to move away from […]

Tax & the Family Home

We take a closer look at the main residence exemption that excludes your home from capital gains tax and the triggers that reduce or exclude that exemption. Capital gains tax (CGT) applies to gains you have made on the sale of capital assets (assets you make money from). Unless an exemption or reduction applies, or […]

Tax Time Targets

With tax season almost upon us the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has revealed its four areas of focus this tax season. Record-keeping Work-related expenses Rental property income and deductions, and Capital gains from crypto assets, property, and shares. In general, there are three ‘golden rules’ when claiming tax deductions: You must have spent the money […]

Single Touch Payroll – Phase 2

Single Touch Payroll (STP) is the way you report your employees tax and super information from your STP-enabled/Digital Service Provider (DSP) payroll or accounting software to the Australian Taxation Office. Phase 1 of STP was first introduced in July 2018. Phase 2 of STP is designed to reduce reporting burden for employers who need to […]

Manual to Automatic

Speak to any person who commutes for business these days, log books are tedious and unreliable but essential for claiming work related travel expenses with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Somewhere caught between a rock and a hard place. Our Managing Director, Jason Croston, purchased a new car this year and was challenged like any […]

From Present State to Pleasant State

In late 2019, after years of struggling with headaches and migraines, Ami began eradicating household products that she suspected may have been the cause. This was anything from cookware and mattresses to cleaning products. One by one she researched and removed items in her home, but still found no release. She began researching the impact […]

120% Deduction for Skills Training & Technology Costs

It’s a great headline isn’t it? Spend $100 and get a $120 tax deduction. Days after the Federal Budget announcement that businesses will be able to claim a 120% deduction for expenditure on training and technology costs, we started receiving marketing emails encouraging us to spend now to access the deduction. But, there are a […]

What’s changing on 1 July 2022?

A series of reforms and changes will commence on 1 July 2022. Here’s what is coming up: For Business Superannuation guarantee increase to 10.5% The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate will rise from 10% to 10.5% on 1 July 2022 and will continue to increase by 0.5% each year until it reaches 12% on 1 July […]

Mixer Messages

We’ve now got investors on board at a different scale. Without certainty that can be unnerving—but with Shaun’s help with the foundations, we have confidence”. Shiv Reddy, Founder at Long Rays The Challenge—Crafting Mixers for the Moment Ask around the best bars and venues and you’ll find that the Australian drinks scene is having a […]

FBT 2022

The Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) year ends on 31 March. We’ve outlined the hot spots for employers and employees. FBT updates and problem areas Assistance and benefits provided due to COVID-19 Motor vehicle problem areas Mismatched FBT and income tax amounts Business assets personally used by owners and staff Not lodging FBT returns Salary sacrifice […]

Good Tech for Good Work

“This year we actually went on holiday at the same time—for more than two weeks—we’d never have been able to do that before the new system”. Vicki Cole, Corporate Services Manager at CADA The Challenge—Pay Run to Pay Walk The Centre Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) in Moreton Bay faced funding and payroll complexity. Detailed reporting […]

Year of the Tiger

The 2022 Luna New Year, Year of the Tiger, is courage and bravery. It is a year to drive out evil and one of momentum and change. The message; walk boldly with courage. And it seems the Reserve Bank Governor is aligned with this sentiment. The Tiger economy At a recent speech to the National […]

Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment

The rules for the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment, the payment accessible to those who have lost work because they have had to self-isolate with COVID-19, or are caring for someone who contracted it, changed on 18 January 2022. The new rules change the definition of a close contact in line with the harmonised national definition. […]

PCR and RAT Tests

The Treasurer has announced that PCR and rapid antigen tests (RAT) will be tax deductible for individuals and exempt from fringe benefits tax (FBT) for employers if purchased for work purposes. There has been confusion over the tax treatment of RAT tests with the Prime Minister stating for some time that they are tax deductible, […]

Financial Management for Business Owners

Ever wonder why your sales seem to be growing yet your profit remains the same?  Or why your business appears to be making a profit yet there’s no cash to show for it? The answer lies in developing your financial management skills. Many small business owners don’t invest enough time in learning how to interpret […]

The Right Attitude for Success

Written by Heather McKenzie All businesses have challenges and will need to change in order to adapt to the future. But it can be hard to come to terms with. As I recently had cause to ponder my own life and the future direction of our own organisation, I was reminded that it all comes […]

Imagining a Better Brand

After years advising clients to rebrand for success, we finally did it ourselves. Find out how – and why it makes great business sense.

Taking Our Own Medicine

Over the years we’ve advised hundreds of clients to rebrand. To help pivot a business model, prepare for a sale, or better reach markets. We’ve finally taken our own medicine, and rebranded. Our visuals are refreshed. But it’s much more than a facelift. Our website and our brand voice are newly imagined. We’re shining through—and […]

Tax and the Normalisation of Cryptocurrency

In early November, the Commonwealth Bank announced that it is now Australia’s first bank to offer customers the ability to buy, sell and hold crypto assets, directly through the CommBank app. You know when the banks come on board, cryptocurrency has become normal. But cryptocurrency is only one part of the blockchain universe. Non-fungible tokens […]

Christmas Parties and Tax

Will you be rewarding your employees with an end-of-year Christmas party to celebrate? A dinner with drinks or a gift maybe? If you’re feeling particularly generous, maybe both? That’s very kind of you. But make sure you’re across the financial implications to your business: Gifts and Christmas parties may attract tax. Christmas parties and Tax […]

Making Success Stick: How Laticrete Lifted Sales and Doubled Profits

Imagine seeing your business continue to grow, despite the pandemic. That’s exactly what Australian building materials manufacturer Laticrete has achieved—with the help of strategic planning from SRJ Walker Wayland. General Manager Emma Tschannen steers Australian operations for Laticrete Australia—with a strong annual turnover. After working with SRJ since October 2018, Emma describes a very high growth in […]

Bootstraps & Bathing: How Soak Bathhouse Became a Thriving Health Business

Imagine running your business on your phone. Co-founder of Gold Coast day spa Soak Bathhouse Niki Dean did. By partnering with SRJ Walker Wayland—he made it a reality. For over 10 years, the right systems and processes—and the right guidance along the way—have helped Niki turn dollar businesses into multi-million dollar enterprises. “I had no […]

Recipe For Success: How Periwinkle Restaurant Beat the Pandemic

Business can demand everything—especially in hospitality. When French chef Frank Boulay and his wife Karin set up Periwinkle family restaurant on the Sunshine Coast, they needed accounting support that gave the business everything it deserved. Frank had helped open the Ritz-Carlton at Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean—and been Executive Chef at the Sheraton in […]

Cosmetic Gold: How Digispectro is redefining ‘skin deep’.

Barry Amor and his company, Digispectro, are imagining better for the world with their award-winning invention—CompleXion. The handheld device perfectly captures the colour of a person’s skin, in all lighting conditions—a notoriously difficult challenge. This enables cosmetic manufacturers to create unique formulas with perfect colour matching. “But it goes beyond that,” Barry explains. “We can […]

Not a Gamble: How Kedron-Wavell Took Financial Control

Running Services Club finances is no picnic. But using the right systems—and with help for a smooth transition—you can use technology to make it a piece of cake. At Kedron-Wavell—one of Brisbane’s iconic Services Clubs—Finance Manager Brayden Young saw an opportunity to leverage technology to simplify the complex—and in the process help make his small finance team […]

Strength To Strength: How GDG learnt to love their annual audit.

Imagine a large non-profit with complex reporting looking forward to its annual audit. That’s exactly what happened for Brenda Pearson, Administrator of Global Development Group. “We build better lives for the world’s poorest people,” she explains. “As a charity, we have more than 5-million beneficiaries across the world, 15-thousand donors—and no government funding,” she says. […]

Secret Sale

“A year ago I was under great stress—John and the SRJ team carried us through a process—now we’re happily enjoying our retirement”. Andrew McDonaldDWC Tiles The Challenge—Selling Without Advertising Andrew and Lisa McDonald had worked hard making DW Custer Pty Ltd (trading as DWC Tiles) a thriving enterprise. But with no family succession possible, they […]