![Labor's Andrew Leigh said the complaint figures did not take into account this month's IT system failures.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/o/l/7/6/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gt91dx.png/1483073243459.jpg)
Tax
![Labor's Andrew Leigh said the complaint figures did not take into account this month's IT system failures.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/o/l/7/6/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gt91dx.png/1483073243459.jpg)
A soft drink tax will make us less fat. But here's what it will do to prices
!["You are what you eat but also a result of how often and how much you eat": Assistant Minister for Rural Health David ...](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/u/z/i/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gsuw17.png/1479898294042.jpg)
The United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Fiji, Mexico, South Africa and parts of America have sugar taxes. Australia could be next.
End the age of entitlement - for seniors
![Seniors are doing better in real terms than younger people earning the same incomes.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/q/s/7/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gst8o1.png/1479707078611.jpg)
Australia's tax system has become skewed towards a growing and apparently untouchable group of 'taxed nots' - they are older Australians who pay roughly $1 billion per year less tax than younger Australians in the same circumstances, according to a new Grattan Institute report.
The case for a basic income, no questions asked
![Peter Martin dinkus.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/q/9/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gssj23.png/1485310515536.jpg)
What if the right to an income was as basic as the right to vote?
It's Halloween ... and the taxman is calling
![Halloween is also the deadline to submit your tax return, if you're doing it yourself rather than through an accountant.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/e/y/0/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gseh4p.png/1477963279392.jpg)
If you're lodging with MyTax this weekend, here are a few tips to help you get more bucks back this year.
12 smart things to do with the average tax return of $2112
![We derive more happiness from buying an experience than an object. How about BridgeClimb?](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/2/s/u/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.gs2sc4.png/1476566254866.jpg)
Eight of 10 Australians get a tax refund and the average last year was $2112
I'm ready for complaints, says tax watchdog
![Inspector-General of Taxation Ali Noroozi promises "the strictest confidence" for anyone raising complaints, issues or ...](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/q/w/v/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gs0tx2.png/1476260063995.jpg)
"I've got my ear to the ground now," says Inspector-General of Taxation Ali Noroozi.
Cutting company tax for small business is 'stupid': Noel Whittaker
![Most small businesses would appreciate government assistance but not necessarily in the form of tax cuts.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/f/k/u/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.grok4h.png/1474869280946.jpg)
A crazy idea that looks like getting up was based on the notion that government could give small business a much-needed boost by cutting their company tax.
The Money guide to shacking up with your partner
![If it's true love, like Wesley and Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride, you might want to consider putting assets ...](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/f/7/b/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.grg6io.png/1473895672274.jpg)
There can be unexpected tax and financial consequences of a couple moving in together.
Tax cuts to flow after backdown
![Treasurer Scott Morrison.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/4/c/e/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gr7h1j.png/1473276881740.jpg)
Asked why it had backed down, the ATO said though a spokeswoman it had made a political judgement.
Your guide to capital gains tax on the family home
![You don't have to decide immediately which family home to claim the CGT exemption for.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/w/f/0/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gr6714.png/1472695529924.jpg)
Capital gains tax on the family home is not to difficult to understand if you take it step by step.
Morrison softens super stance
![Treasurer Scott Morrison says he is prepared to write in exemptions in the superannuation proposals.](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/l/o/o/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqnubg.png/1471875437988.jpg)
Treasurer Scott Morrison has confirmed plans to water down some of the superannuation changes announced in the budget, but says he'll hold the line on the most important elements.
Best to be in the tax Goldilocks zone
![Kerry Packer speaks at a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra in 1991. Packer won his battle with the Tax Office but most ...](/web/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/b/n/e/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqb4w9.png/1469508752832.jpg)
The challenge with paying tax is how to make sure you don't pay too much or too little but just the right amount.
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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/j/c/0/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpvz3h.png/1472646287330.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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/s/q/0/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsppf.png/1467160800241.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/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/n/y/o/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsk3h.png/1480423442383.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/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/d/3/c/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsoig.png/1471972092300.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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/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/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/8/m/4/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpeiij.png/1474919213028.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/20170126200621im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/z/q/y/b/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpd30x.png/1485058100813.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/20170126200621im_/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?