18 explainers,
written by a tax agent.
Each topic is reviewed and dated by Zaki Choudhry (Founder & Registered Tax Agent, TAN 26321143). General information — not personal advice. Use it as a starting point, then bring your numbers to a discovery call.
Australian Business Number
What an ABN is, who needs one, how to apply, when to cancel, and the mistakes we see in Melton most often.
Goods and Services Tax
Australia's 10% consumption tax — when you must register, what's taxable, what isn't, and how it interacts with BAS and tax invoices.
Business Activity Statement
What goes on a quarterly BAS — GST, PAYG withholding, PAYG instalments, FBT instalments — and how to lodge on time, every quarter.
Instalment Activity Statement
How an IAS differs from a BAS, who lodges one, and the obligations that go on it.
Capital Gains Tax
When CGT applies, the 50% discount rule, the main-residence exemption, and how to work out the gain on shares, crypto and property.
Fringe Benefits Tax
What FBT taxes, the FBT year (April-March), and the items most likely to trigger it for small Melton businesses.
PAYG Instalments — paying tax in advance
How PAYG instalments work, when the ATO puts you on them, and how to vary the rate when your income drops.
PAYG Withholding — tax taken from wages
When you must withhold tax from payments to employees and contractors, the rates that apply, and the obligations that follow.
Fuel Tax Credits — claiming the excise back
Who can claim fuel tax credits, the rates, and the records needed to support a claim on a BAS.
Family Tax Benefits — Part A and Part B
How FTB Part A and Part B work, the income tests, and how the year-end balancing process affects your tax return.
Salary Packaging — novated leases, super, and the FBT trap
When salary packaging genuinely saves tax, when it's a wash, and the items most commonly packaged in Melton.
Small Business Entity — what counts and what concessions follow
How to qualify as a small business entity, the income-tax concessions available, and the CGT concessions on sale.
ATO penalties and General Interest Charge
How failure-to-lodge, false-statement and shortfall penalties work — and how GIC compounds on unpaid tax.
Super Guarantee — 12% in 2026, payment dates, and the SGC trap
How super guarantee works, the 2025-26 rate, payment due dates, and what happens if you miss one.
Instant Asset Write-off — current threshold and eligibility
What the instant asset write-off is, who can use it, and the threshold rules that change between budgets.
Contacting the ATO — phone numbers, online services, agent referrals
Direct ATO phone numbers for individuals, businesses, BAS and tax-practitioner queries. Best times to call, the right line for each issue, and what to have ready before you dial.
Interposed Entity Election — when and why a trust group makes one
What an Interposed Entity Election (IEE) does in Australian trust law, how it interacts with a Family Trust Election (FTE), the Family Trust Distribution Tax trap, and when it's worth making.
Family Trust Election — locking a trust to a family group
What a Family Trust Election (FTE) does in Australian trust law, the specified individual and family group test, when it's worth making, the irrevocability trap, and the Family Trust Distribution Tax that follows.