New laws passed by parliament last month directly target the behaviour of taxpayers that don’t meet their obligations.
Tax deductions denied
If taxpayers do not meet their PAYG withholding tax obligations, from 1 July 2019 they will not be able to claim a tax deduction for payments:
of salary, wages, commissions, bonuses or allowances to an employee;
of directors’ fees;
to a religious practitioner;
under a labour hire arrangement; or
made for services where the supplier does not provide their ABN.
The main exception is where you realised there is a mistake and voluntarily corrected it. For example, if you made payments to a contractor but then later realised that they should have been paid as an employee and no PAYG was withheld. In these circumstances, a deduction may still be available if you voluntarily correct the problem but penalties may still apply for the failure to withhold the correct amount of tax.
**The material and contents provided in this article contains general information and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not intended to be advice and you should not act specifically on the basis of this information alone. If expert assistance is required, please contact Peer Wealth on (02) 8014 7608.