This quote by Plato, the Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, sums up the central issue some accountants have with tax planning – they just cannot get started. The day to day grind of servicing the needs of compliance clients leaves them with…
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Most practice principals meet the Tax Practitioner Board requirements of thirty hours accounting and tax training per year. Unfortunately, this is normally exclusively related to their compliance related services with no training on value added services such as tax planning. A search of all the accounting professional bodies extensive training and website resources comes up…
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All important client advice should be provided to the client in writing (irrespective of whether also provided to the client verbally as well). This practice is recommended by both the ATO and professional bodies to protect both the client and the practice. A tax plan fits into this important category so should definitely be in…
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A taxpayer who carries on a business is entitled to a deduction for a gift made to a former or current client if the gift has been made for the purpose of producing future assessable income i.e. gaining client referrals, generating additional sales, etc. Real estate agents for example normally give a bottle of champagne…
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The tax strategies database is the intellectual knowledge and know-how that is the horsepower behind the whole tax planning process. A substandard or limited tax strategies database will not get the job done for the client and will inevitably produce poor performance. Too many accountants are attempting to provide tax planning services with an arsenal…
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Just as financial planners need to know their clients when preparing a financial plan, so too do accountants need to know their clients when preparing a tax plan. This involves gathering the client information and data so the complete picture about the client’s affairs can be analysed. Accountants normally know their client’s income and expenses…
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Even if accountants are well trained and utilising tax planning software it will still take 2-3 hours (on average) to complete the six stage tax planning process for a client. Skipping any of the six stages, or not spending adequate time on a stage, will result in a substandard result for the client. The tax…
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A reversionary pension is a pension that is paid to a member and on the death of the member continues to be paid to an eligible dependent of the deceased i.e. their spouse or child under the age of 18. The advantages of an automatic reversionary pension are: Removes the need for trustees to cash…
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As discussed previously, 90% of practices don’t actually provide tax planning services to their clients for a fee. That is not debatable and is a fact supported by the data. What is interesting though is that most of those practice principals will tell you they do provide tax planning services to their clients, but just…
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Sponsorship is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as ‘the act of supporting a person, organisation, or activity by giving money, encouragement, or other help’. The Avon Descent is a 124km power dinghy and paddle boat race from Northam to Bayswater (see www.avondescent.com.au). The main sponsors are Tourism WA, Lotterywest, act belong commit, Healthway, The Sunday…
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"You’d be stupid not to try to cut your tax bill and those that don’t are stupid in business"
- Bono: U2