An overview of the new Paid Parental Leave scheme to commence in January 2011. More...

At this time of year, most employers have questions with regard to annual leave and public holiday matters. Summarised below are the top 5 questions asked: More...

From the 1st January 2011, Australia will have a single National set of laws for consumer protection. The new Federal Legislation replaces the individual legislation previously held by each State and Territory. More...

The Australian Taxation Office's benchmarking process is now being used to check taxation assessments. SMEs need to keep accurate, clear records of their business affairs to satisfy taxation officer's reviews. More...

We are pleased to announce that mta optima has now joined the social media world and created a Facebook and Twitter page. More...

Firstly, we wish everyone a peaceful and safe Christmas season and a healthy, happy and successful 2011. More...

Two recent New South Wales Court of Appeal decisions suggest that employers can rely on well-drafted restraint clauses to prevent former employees from soliciting clients and competing against them. More...

In recent times mta optima as a business has gone to great length in forecasting its own cashflow for this financial year. Almost all businesses prepare an annual budget, some going to great lengths to justify increases in revenue, cost reduction targets and capital expenditure requirements. More...

From 01/01/2010 Eligibility has been opened up for all Diploma&Advanced Diploma Qualifications to receive Australian Government Employer Incentives (Provided that the Qualification is approved as an Australian Apprenticeship pathway within the State) More...

The highly successful Kickstart Bonus which was renewed as the Apprentice Kickstart Extensionprogram closes soon! Details include More...

Fuel tax credits provide you with a credit for the fuel tax (excise or customs duty) included in the price of fuel you use in: More...

The Tax Office has released details of their increased audit attention for Self Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSF). In particular they will expand its scrutiny of fund auditors as it shifts from educating taxpayer to driving higher levels of compliance. More...

Clients need to be aware that the Fair Work Ombudsman has put all Business Owners/Directors on notice that they may be held personally responsible for the actions of those they trust to effectively manage Fair Work compliance obligations within their business. More...

Another masterchef gem from the mta optima team More...

In our spring newsletter we have combined a number of articles of particular interest over the last couple of months. A number of the articles focus on keeping our clients out of trouble with the tax man and fair work ombudsman. By understanding the various rules imposed on businesses, we can work together to ensure that you and your business are meeting your obligations. More...

Audit insurance provides you and your business with protection from the cost of accountancy fees when responding to audits, reviews and investigations by the Australian Tax Office ('ATO') and state based revenue agencies, such as the State Revenue Office. More...

Under the new regulatory regime, which commenced on 1 March 2010, bookkeepers must be registered BAS agents, or working under the supervision and control of a BAS agent or tax agent in order to provide BAS agent services for a fee. More...

The Australian Taxation Office have been given approval to launch a special crackdown on eBay sellers (and other online traders) as it attempts to find online tax cheats. More...

Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) legislation can be a tricky thing that often leaves employers unsure of when it does and doesn't apply. In this article we are focusing on entertainment fringe benefits as they often apply where food and drink is provided to an employee. More...

The Government has announced that eligible small businesses (those with under 20 employees) are now able to use their free Small Business Superannuation Clearing House. More...

Well Mastercheif has been and gone for another season and didn't they produce some gems. The team at mta optima wanted to share with you some of their favourites. More...

As is common in most tax years, fraudulent emails are already being sent with regard to 2010 tax refunds. An mta optima staff member has already received one of these emails with the subject heading: Australian Tax Refund Agency. More...

What a year 2010 was! We received the results of the Henry Review and with the change in Prime Minister we have already seen the Governments initial response to some of these recommendations change. Despite the economic uncertainty of 2010 many of our clients businesses flourished and we would like to take the opportunity now to congratulate our clients on their fantastic results for the year! More...

Since the start of the year there has been a noticeable increase in the level of compliance activity being conducted in the area of Employment Taxes both at Federal and State levels. This includes More...

On 3 June, Fair Work Australia's Wage Panel handed down its first annual wage review decision. The decisions of the panel are as follows: More...

In March we reported that the Government's Cooper review was assessing Australia's superannuation system. The Cooper Review was engaged by the Government to review the superannuation industry with the aim of making superannuation simpler, safer and more efficient. We can now report the key recommendations of this review: More...

The federal Government has finally released its long awaited response to the Henry Review into taxation. The Government has indicated that its tax plan only covers the first wave of its reforms and is confined to resource, company and ..... More...

Since the end of last year the government has been holding onto the all important Henry Review and its findings, and has finally promised it would be released prior to budget night in May of this year. More...

Under the current super rules once a super fund member commences an account-based pension there are minimum amounts which must be paid out to the member each year. More...

The Government's Cooper review is currently assessing Australia's superannuation system, including the suitability of borrowing in Self Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSF). More...

Employers today face a tangled web of dilemmas - legislation for superannuation guarantee, Pay As You Go Withholding, legislation for Occupational Health and Safety, unfair dismissal laws, Fair Work Australia requirements. More...

The ATO is trialling payment by credit card for all taxation liabilities. Initially, payments between $10 and $10,000 will be accepted. More...

With more and more baby boomers moving out of the work force and Generation X juggling work and family, the reliance on Generation Y in the workplace has never been higher. More...

Under the Taxation Laws Amendment (Budget Measures 2) Act 2009 the ATO has made changes to the existing non-commercial loss rules from 1 July 2009. More...

Have you ever wondered what would happen to you and your family if you were suddenly struck down with illness or were in an unexpected accident and couldn't physically work? More...

We're thrilled to announce that we have established a Queensland office of mta optima! More...

Many of our clients may be aware that we had severe problems with our server last month. Due to fatal errors with our hardware we were basically unable to work for an entire week. Luckily our backups were performed nightly and our data loss was kept to a minimum. More...

The 'Health Insurance Amendment (Compliance) Bill 2009' is currently before the House of Representatives. This Bill is intended to give effect to the Increased MBS Compliance Audits (IMCA) initiative. More...

With Christmas less than two months away, most businesses will be planning their annual Christmas party. Now is an important time to consider the tax issues involved in providing a Christmas party and gifts to employees. More...

Do you really know the difference between mark-up and margin? Do you also understand the impact of discounting? Our experience tells us that many business people get them confused and the consequences of getting them wrong can be profound! More...

What has changed?The Federal Government introduced legislative changes that will impact on most employees between July 2009 and January 2010. Those changes include: The introduction of the Fair Work Act and its associated National Employment Standards Award modernisation aimed at simplifying the current state and federal award systems Changes to enterprise-based and individual workplace agreement arrangements More...

Last month I had the privilege of attending a family function in Geelong with -the in-laws-. It was a terrific evening on a number of fronts but one thing that stood out to me was the -passing of the baton- from a grandfather to his grandsons. More...