Author: stratoslawyers

GST Insights | Consequences of non-resident on-selling off the plan properties

June 23, 2016

Background Most readers will be aware of the Australian banking sector’s refusal to lend to non-resident investors using foreign income as a basis for meeting lending criteria. Off-the-plan property is attractive to non-resident investors for a host of reasons, but in particular, they are an asset class for which no FIRB approval is required. Having … More GST Insights | Consequences of non-resident on-selling off the plan properties

Insights | Bitcoins and blockchains (Part 2)

June 17, 2016

In Part 1 of our Insights | Bitcoins and blockchains series we introduced the concepts of Bitcoin and blockchains; we also discussed some of the commercial reasons why Bitcoin surged in popularity as a digital currency and alternative means of settling transactions. Parts 2 to 4 of our series will explore potential applications of blockchain technology to the banking, corporate … More Insights | Bitcoins and blockchains (Part 2)

Tax insights | investing in property (part 3)

June 7, 2016

In part 3 of our Tax insights | investing in property series, we discuss the CGT main residence exemption to situations involving multiple main residences. Multiple properties – which do you choose as your main residence?   For some owner-investors, a simple but effective property strategy can involve owning and occupying a dwelling and “trading up” from … More Tax insights | investing in property (part 3)

Insights | Bitcoins and Blockchain (part 1)

June 3, 2016

Digital crypto-currencies and blockchain self-executing contracts and instruments are this week’s buzz words.  So how does the law, tax and GST fit into the equation? In Part 1 of our Insights | Bitcoins and Blockchain series, we provide a brief introduction to the Bitcoin and Blockchain technology.  In future installments, we will discuss the application of law, Australian income … More Insights | Bitcoins and Blockchain (part 1)

Tax insights | investing in property (part 2)

June 1, 2016

In the second part of our Tax insights | investing in property series, we extend our discussion of the capital gains tax (CGT) “main residence” exemption (sometimes also referred to as the “principal place of residence exemption”) in the context of Australian expats and investing in vacant land.  We also consider the special “6 year rule” which extends the availability … More Tax insights | investing in property (part 2)

Tax insights: investing in property (part 1)

May 25, 2016

About to buy your second property?  STOP AND READ THIS! We previously published a popular article discussing negative gearing with property investments which offered 5 useful tax tips to consider when buying property. In this series, we will discuss further opportunities to take into consideration when investing in property. Part I discusses what happens with a … More Tax insights: investing in property (part 1)

Insights: royalty payments to Canada – Task Technology v C of T

May 18, 2016

The global digital economy is increasing in value; this includes opportunities for Australians to import offshore intellectual property to resell to Australian businesses and consumers.  However, many Australian taxpayers probably don’t realise that they will likely bear the cost of paying a non-resident’s tax under Australia’s withholding tax collection mechanisms. In that context, this article considers the … More Insights: royalty payments to Canada – Task Technology v C of T

Insights | Negative gearing and investing in property

May 8, 2016

The purpose of this blog article is to discuss the concept of “negative gearing” and its practical implications for investors in property. We also include 5 helpful tips for our readers at the bottom of the article. What is negative gearing? Often the focus in media and politics is on one aspect of negative gearing – … More Insights | Negative gearing and investing in property

Insights | Parents helping children buy property

May 6, 2016

Our Prime Minister has recently come under fire for suggesting that couples could seek financial assistance from parents to buy property.  In fact, my experience suggests this is not uncommon for Australians from multicultural backgrounds, particularly where there is an expectation that the newlyweds ought to establish a new household. SMH’s Domain suggests a number … More Insights | Parents helping children buy property

Tax insights | 2016/17 Federal Budget Papers

May 5, 2016

This blog is intended as a humorous supplement to the plethora of other publications freely available from the Big 4 Accounting Firms and other mid-tier firms. We will preface this blog post with an obligatory remark that Budgetary tax announcements are exactly that – mere announcements; they do not have force of law unless and … More Tax insights | 2016/17 Federal Budget Papers