New guidelines for professional services firms - lawyers, architects, medical practitioners etc., came into effect on 1 July 2022.
The
guidance takes a strong stance on structures designed to divert income in a way that results in principal practitioners receiving relatively
small amounts of income personally for their work and reducing their taxable income.
The ATO is now contacting professionals who they believe might be at risk. Any structural changes that need to be made to reduce risk, should be completed by the end of the 2022-23 financial year.
Where the ATO deems that income has been diverted inappropriately to create a tax benefit, they will remove that benefit and significant
penalties may apply.
Running a small business has always been personal. Every sale, every setback, every sleepless night - it all comes back to the same person: the owner.
A staggering 93% of small business owners reported higher costs this year, while 64% saw profits fall. Taxes, wages, and insurance top the list of pressures, with taxes ranked as the number one cost by half of respondents of a recent report.
Australia’s small business sector has always been defined by its resilience - but the latest Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) and CommBank Small Business Perspectives Report 2025 shows that resilience is being tested like never before.
