![Kerry Packer speaks at a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra in 1991. Packer won his battle with the Tax Office but most ...](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/b/n/e/b/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gqb4w9.png/1469508752832.jpg)
Tax
![Kerry Packer speaks at a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra in 1991. Packer won his battle with the Tax Office but most ...](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/b/n/e/b/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gqb4w9.png/1469508752832.jpg)
The big thing the Tax Office will be targeting this year
![The taxman is coming for you ... assistant commissioner Graham Whyte says the Tax Office is more active than ever on ...](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/b/g/0/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqaf5d.png/1469287732166.jpg)
The Tax Office is targeting the growing number of people making a living or supplementing their regular income from the sharing economy.
The best way to give to charity
![Donating good-quality used goods is another way to help charity.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/3/r/z/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gq3r7b.png/1468377928926.jpg)
Face-to-face fundraising is here to stay, but while it's effective for charities, there are more effective ways to give.
H&M; inks tax deal
![H&M's empire spans more than 4000 stores across 62 countries.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/s/4/c/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpwne8.png/1467988373917.jpg)
Fast-fashion retailer is one of a growing number of multinationals locking in their Australian tax.
Tax deductions for landlords
![A holiday home in Eden, on the NSW South Coast. There are rules worth knowing about letting out properties and tax.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/z/m/6/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpzkpj.png/1468291533758.jpg)
If you're letting a property to tenants, it's important to know what you can and cannot claim.
Tax cuts in limbo as Tax Office says 'no'
![Bond investors are just happy to get their money back and are not worried about earning any interest](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/j/c/0/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpvz3h.png/1467791111173.jpg)
Tax cuts promised from Friday July 1 will fail to arrive for up to a year after the Tax Office confirmed it won't be changing its tax schedules to accommodate the prime minister.
Company tax cuts 'built on uncertain foundations'
![Economic modeller Chris Murphy ran the numbers for the Treasury.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/v/m/9/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpvh62.png/1467287501055.jpg)
Claims of a boost to living standards from the government's planned company tax cuts rest largely on a dramatic reduction in tax avoidance, a new analysis shows.
Changes for your hip pocket loom
![Many financial thresholds change from July 1.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/s/q/0/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsppf.png/1467080755536.jpg)
As the start of the financial year approaches there is always a raft of changes in taxes and thresholds.
How to max your tax refund
![Get your tax affairs in order before toasting the new financial year.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/n/y/o/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsk3h.png/1467074349685.jpg)
Making sure you're financially organised is the key to ensuring you maximise your tax return and receive your refund as soon as possible.
Run for health cover before June 30
![Only hospital cover counts for avoiding the Medicare Levy Surcharge or Lifetime Health Cover.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/d/3/c/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsoig.png/1467174237289.jpg)
Amid the mid-year stocktake sales and car dealership runouts is a notion that it is rather important - to sort out private health insurance before June 30.
Giving clubs change face of philanthropy
![Bryony Green and Sarah Wickham, co-founders of Good Mob.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/n/4/o/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpn1y9.png/1466558105143.jpg)
Many people will make spontaneous donations to charity before the end of the financial year, but Bryony Green and others like her will be banding together for more "purposeful and planned" giving.
The election outcome and your finances
![The outcome of the election could have a big effect on your hip pocket.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/o/g/k/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpkgo2.png/1467595420909.jpg)
That unsettling prickling sensation many of you will be feeling right now is just your hip-pocket nerve reacting as July 2 nears.
What the ATO is cracking down on at tax time
![About 8.5 million Australians claim $19.7 billion in work-related expenses each year.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/i/h/j/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpji1b.png/1466163863972.jpg)
Each year about 12.4 million Australians claim more $30 billion in deductions against their income, now the ATO is cracking down.
Why bracket creep is here to stay
![Governments of both sides like bracket creep because it lets them repair the budget and get credit for tax cuts. ...](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/c/7/k/7/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpe3dl.png/1467622226616.jpg)
For all the fuss about bracket creep, its impact is often overestimated.
Does tax make us behave like monkeys?
![This common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) has an aversion to loss similar to humans.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/7/o/v/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpf30m.png/1465691927751.jpg)
The end of the financial year is a time for financial reflection and proactive planning.
Make most of your tax situation
![If you have children, make sure you don't accidentally go over a threshold and lose your family payments.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/8/m/4/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpeiij.png/1468994527521.jpg)
Many people are quick to complain about how changes to our tax system will affect them, but they won't do anything about it.
This time it's the Coalition promising things it can't afford
![Peter Martin dinkus](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/z/q/y/b/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpd30x.png/1469091495600.jpg)
Labor ought to consider reversioning the old 1980's AIDS slogan: "I like sex, but I'm not prepared to die for it."
Accountants using offshore outsourcing
![Many Australians are paying a premium for their tax returns but are unaware the work is being outsourced offshore.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/9/g/d/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp9g5j.png/1465353756437.jpg)
Australian consumers are used to the offshore call centre when dealing with telcos. But would you expect your accountant to outsource your tax return to a cheap outfit overseas?
Your checklist for tax time
![Calculated result: Work out the best allocation funds to minimise the amount owing.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/z/o/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp8kpf.png/1465352912809.jpg)
With just three weeks to go before the end of the financial year, sprinters have limited time to get their financial affairs in order before the taxman comes calling
How to value start-up share options
![If you're being offered equity in a start-up, you need to understand how the pie is being carved up. Illustration: Karl ...](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/c/b/2/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp3prj.png/1464690241201.jpg)
If you're tossing up whether to work for a start-up you need to understand how share options work.
Time to reduce your tax bill
![Given the uncertainty over tax cuts, it might be better for middle and high-income earners to claim more tax deductions ...](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/x/f/w/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp3jyw.png/1464316535783.jpg)
​With the end of the tax year looming, now's the time to implement strategies to reduce this year's taxation bills.
Negative gearing report linked to Morrison ally
![Treasurer Scott Morrison has been advised to stick to his day job and not be an amateur YouTube director by Bill Shorten.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/r/y/n/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp1c04.png/1465967749288.jpg)
Draft report makes bold claims that have alarmed some of the people it has been circulated to.
Hard to see clearly with so much ink
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/k/s/w/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp200e.png/1464067557996.jpg)
Attack a squid and it squirts out ink. That could be why we are suddenly awash with reports on negative gearing.
'Aussie John' is wrong. Here's why
![John Symond has been backed by Malcolm Turnbull.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/4/v/a/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gow6tp.png/1463463394464.jpg)
''Aussie John'' has got it wrong. Labor isn't planning to hit negative gearing on all established housing overnight.
Negative gearing's hidden taxpayer cost
![Negative gearing is falsely accused of driving house investment activity, experts say.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/c/t/2/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.goubz7.png/1464276268959.jpg)
Taxpayers who negatively gear cost other taxpayers an average of $310 per year, a new analysis of Tax Office data shows.
Budget 2016: max tax bang for buck
![It's time to start thinking about tax deductions.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/9/u/k/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.goltxt.png/1462408741350.jpg)
An accountant shares tax strategies arising from the 2016 federal budget for individuals, businesses, and employees.
$80,000 is anything but average Scott Morrison
![Treasurer Scott Morrison addresses the media during a doorstop interview ahead of Budget day.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/a/l/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.goj9w7.png/1462168638133.jpg)
If Scott Morrison thinks that by offering tax cuts to Australians earning more than $80,000 he is helping average workers, he doesn't know much about what an average worker earns.
How investors outgun first home buyers
![The auction trail can be dispiriting for first home buyers.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/a/v/5/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gogx87.png/1462021895729.jpg)
It's not just that one in three buyers are investors, it's also that they're disproportionately competing with first-home buyers.
Turnbull out on a limb over negative gearing
![Perhaps perplexed by the sudden invite to connect on LinkedIn, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is yet to respond.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/d/s/5/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.goeoj3.png/1461806494068.jpg)
You've heard the one about the one-year-old who's buying a house.
Tax benefits for top earners cost $11b
![Negative gearing and foreign investment make things tougher for new households, one academic says.](/web/20160807083810im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/4/8/8/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.goeef5.png/1462779308884.jpg)
Surgeons, anesthetists, finance managers and lawyers will be the overwhelming beneficiaries of the Turnbull government's decision not to touch negative gearing in the budget, research shows.