Save Now: Find Out How to Reduce Income Tax in Australia
Business Taxes
4 October 2022

How to Reduce Income Tax in Australia?

Wondering how to reduce income tax? Australia’s tax system can get a little overwhelming, especially as a business owner. Paying higher income taxes can hamper your best efforts to save and, in some situations, may be due to missing potential write-offs or other saving factors. With just a little more focus on tax planning and financial forecasting, making your tax strategy will help you save when it comes to June 30th.

What is Tax Planning? 

Tax planning is the idea of holistically understanding your income, budget, and investment. If you’re interested in increasing investments, stabilising your retirement plan, or just increasing your tax efficiency, then tax planning should be on your to-do list. Tay payers have the chance to reduce taxable income and create a fiscal plan that can help them not only save on an annual basis but also create a better foundation for financial health in the long term. How do you do it? One of the key elements is the preparation and regular updates of a financial forecast of your annual income. It goes without saying, but regular check-ins can help you keep an eye on what’s working, as well as spot patterns of a downturn – which is important when thinking about keeping your business safe from the occasional rainy day.

If you think that you are too early for doing tax planning, then it is never too early to give emphasis on tax planning and reduce taxation to improve your financial health. Good tax planning should be part of an overall income investment plan.

And, if you don’t know how to minimize tax, read the pointers given below.

How to Minimize Tax-

There are different ways to minimize what you pay as a tax and help improve your financial condition.

  • Debt Management- If you don’t manage the debts, the smallest debts can become a big problem for you! You need to consolidate any debts into manageable payment and track it regularly. And, if there is any kind of debt on investment properties, mortgages, or credit cards, you can use interest expenses to decrease your salary tax paid.
  • Deduction Claim- There are certain deductions in your company that you can claim. Talk with an expert accountant and know about all deductions that you can claim. Once you understand, you are allowed to legitimate work-related deductions and hence, reduce your taxable income.
  • Give Donation to Charity- Donating to Charity is a pretty smart way to show a low taxable salary! The donation above $2 comes under the category of tax-deductible. You need to donate to a registered charity so that you can claim. It will assist you in offset capital gain with portfolio management.

What Are Tax Planning Strategies?

Bundles of tax planning strategies are there, which can help reduce taxation on your pay and give you plenty of benefits. Have a look at the top tax strategies to reduce taxable income and these you should undertake as your tax plan to achieve a better financial goal.

  • Insurance Coverage– Investment in the long-term insurance policy for you and your family members will give you many benefits and the biggest benefit is tax saving.
  • Investment Avenues– You can plan to buy a residential property, business shares, and other commercials. This way you can save approximately 50-60% of the income that comes under taxation.
  • Redefine Loans- It is suggested to redefine your investment, personal, or business loans. You can convert it from non-tax-deductible debt into tax-deductible debt. This will help you in paying off as early as possible.
  • Home Loans- Buy a home or transfer assets into property trusts and individually managed super funds. This not only reduces your taxable income and capital gains taxes that you oblige on investments but gives you other credits too.

Top Legal Tax Saving Ways-

To prevent paying unnecessary tax at the year-end, you should start certain things immediately and protect yourself. Below are some tricks of legal tax saving mentioned, consider each of these tricks as your financial objective and talk to an expert tax planner or accountant if you are not sure.

  • Pre-Pay Deductions- When you pay for a few expenses in advance, it will bring your deductions forward to the current financial year. For example, you can include expenses of computer devices, technical equipment, books, meals, transportation, and accommodation too. This decreases your taxable income and also gives you the benefit of a bonus. Take care that your prepaid expenses must be less than $1000 and qualify for the 12-month rule.
  • Company Creation– Create a company to lower down the tax rates that apply to general people. As the company is considered as a separate legal entity. You can also build trust for asset protection and tax planning.
  • Cash in through Capital Gains- Capital gain is the profit earned when you sell any asset. You need to pay taxation on every profit that you earn through capital gains, it is considered as your legal income. However, discounts are applicable on superannuation funds but effective planning is the key.
  • Opt Self-managed Super Fund- Starting a self-managed super fund will help you to save on fees and decrease investment income taxes. This is one of the distinctive investment strategies that apply to self-managed super funds.

What Taxation Ways Can Cause Trouble?

Don’t think too much about how to reduce income tax in Australia, there are tax prevention tricks available. However, the Australian Taxation Office is on the lookout for these tax prevention tricks. You must stop now if you are following any of the taxation ways mentioned below-

  • Mixing business and individual expenses.
  • Complicated financing arrangement without any commercial intent.
  • Loan without repayment.
  • Claim deduction without being paid anytime.
  • More deduction as compared to investment income.
  • No return on investment after a few years.

Tax Avoidance Schemes to Dodge at all Outlays- Unluckily; there are always a few nasty characters in concern with the matters of finance that lead the incautious astray. Be careful about utilizing any of the ways on how to reduce income tax in Australia or any of the tax avoidance schemes that can help you overcome these. The tax avoidance schemes range from special fiscal arrangements to mass-marketed arrangements. These tax avoidance schemes normally embrace complex transactions or misrepresent the mode funds are used to reduce taxable income or further tax obligations.

You need to focus on the structure that is-

  • Exploiting concessional taxation rates.
  • Classifying revenue as capital in an incorrect manner.
  • Releasing super funds early in an illegitimate manner.
  • Moving funds through different entities improperly.
  • Paying more taxation than what you need.

The bottom line is, tax planning can be a complex matter! Here, most of the taxation points are covered and these are specific details that matter the most.  Many business professionals and company CEOs manage to crush even more out of their monthly income by paying the absolute least possible tax they’re obliged to. However, forward planning is quite important to reduce taxable income. Move forward in the right direction and give less money at the taxation time.

Think about talking with the professionals at a leading CPA firm in Australia. They offer the best business and tax services to help you minimize taxation and manage tax obligations. They have experienced accountants to guide you all through the taxation journey and give you information on smart ways to minimize taxable income.

A company like Accumulus Advisory offers tax services including but not limited to commercial strategy, small business support, individual wealth management, and so on. They provide detailed analysis, strategic insights, and problem-solving deals to minimize taxation applicable on taxable income.

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