Claiming petrol on your tax return and fuel tax concessions for small businesses
Date posted: Friday, April 3, 2015
Enter a car, truck, vehicle or any other kind of heavy equipment into the equation, and your tax can get complicated – whether you’re a small business or an individual at end of the financial year.
Luckily, we can shed some light on any confusion you want to get out of the way before tax time rolls in again.
For individuals
You can claim travel expenses – including your car’s petrol and public transport costs – as long as they’re directly connected with your work. However you can’t claim travel between home and work, as this is considered a private expense.
When you use your own car in the course of performing your job however, there are quite a few instances where claiming is all a-go, including:
- carrying bulky tools or equipment
- attending conferences or meetings
- delivering items or collecting supplies
- traveling between two separate places of employment (for example, when you have a second job)
- travelling from your home to an alternative workplace and then to your normal workplace or directly home (for example, if you travel to a client’s premises)
- perform itinerant work.
For businesses
As a business, there’s a federal tax placed on all fuel you purchase (not nice). To help you out, the government has in place a fuel tax credit scheme that allows you to claim back that tax (nice).
Usually included as part of your usual Business Activity Statement (BAS) – much the same way other taxes like GST are claimed – the fuel tax credit scheme applies to most fuel used in the course of carrying on trade, including driving machinery and running plant, equipment and heavy vehicles.
To be eligible, your business needs to be registered for GST, registered separately again for fuel tax credits, undertaking an eligible activity. It also needs to meet several environmental criteria – for example, emission standards for heavy diesel vehicles.
At Pakenham Taxation + Accounting we’re experts in all the details of personal and business taxation. Make this end-of-financial year easier for yourself and contact our team for further questions about what you can and can’t claim on tax.
Sign up with Pakenham Taxation + Accounting to receive tips on how to better manage your personal and business tax.
How to register a trademark for your business
Date posted: Friday, January 23, 2015
A trademark is a kind of intellectual property (IP) and is the public, legal identity for your product or service. It’s mostly used in a marketing context to distinguish your business and what you do from your competitors.
While most people think of a trademark as a brand name or logo, it can actually include a symbol, image, sound, scent, colour or even a type of packaging – almost anything that’s integral to your brand and how you market it can be a trademark.
Trademark laws are also the reason those “Prado” bags on the street are illegal, why you can’t use an apple as your logo and how Cadbury literally owns that exact shade of purple.
In the same way, many businesses, big or small, look to establish their own trademarks to set them apart.
Registering a trademark when you set up a business is quite a long and complicated process – not to mention setting it up internationally so your branding is unique the world over.
The Federal Government’s IP Australia website is a good place to get some further information but if you’re seriously looking to register your own trademark, getting some professional help is the way to go.
Our team at Pakenham Tax + Accounting are experts in setting up your business, including registering for a trademark, patent or design. Make the process as easy as possible and contact us for all your intellectual property needs.
At Pakenham Tax + Accounting we’re experts in all the details of personal and business tax. Make this end-of-financial year easier for yourself and contact our team for further questions about what you can and can’t claim on tax.
Sign up with Pakenham Taxation + Accounting to receive tips on how to better manage your personal and business tax.
Contractors vs employees: how to be sure your ‘contractors’ aren’t in fact ‘employees’
Date posted: Wednesday, April 9, 2014
It’s important that businesses know the difference between ‘independent contractors’ and ‘employees’ for superannuation, pay and workplace relationship obligations.
As a rule, contractors work and service organisations, while working in and for their own business. An employee however, completes this work whilst working in and for the employer’s business. A worker cannot be considered as an independent contractors simply because they have an ABN.
Other differences which can help employers determine whether a worker is an employee of an independent contractor are:
- The workers ability to sub-contract or delegate the task to other workers
- The basis of payment
- The equipment or tools which are provided by the employer
- The independence the worker has in carrying out their work
There are various issues that may arise if an employer wrongfully considers an employee as an independent contractor. These include employers not fulfilling their superannuation payment requirements or not maintaining fair work practices in terms of payment for service or dismissal.
Still not sure whether your workers are employees or contractors? You can find out more by giving us a call, sending us an email or booking in for a visit. We specialise in servicing individuals and businesses in the South Eastern Suburbs including Pakenham, Lakeside, Berwick, Nar Nar Goon, Garfield, Tynong and Koo Wee Rup.
Sign up with Pakenham Taxation + Accounting to receive tips on how to better manage your personal and business tax.
When Is My BAS Due?
Date posted: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
So you want to know the answer to…
- Does my business need to submit a BAS?
- When do I need to submit my BAS?
- What are the BAS submission dates?
- What are the cut-off dates to submit my BAS?
Firstly, all Australian businesses are required to submit a Business Activity Statement (BAS) in order to report their taxation obligations.
Small businesses have different obligations to large businesses so activity statements are tailored to individual companies. GST, PAYG and Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) are all potential inclusions on a company’s statement.
While the type of BAS form being completed by an organisation may vary, the required payment dates when lodging quarterly do not.
Still confused? Just follow Pakenham Taxation + Accounting’s simplified table below and get your BAS in before the specified dates. Easy-peasy.
For businesses that report and pay monthly, no need to stress. The Australian Tax Office has chosen the 21st day of the following month as the designated day for lodgement.
Still have questions? You can find out more by giving us a call, sending us an email or making an appointment. We specialise in servicing individuals and businesses within the Cardinia Shire and outer south-east suburbs including Pakenham, Berwick, Cranbourne, Officer, Beaconsfield, Garfield, and Drouin.

Sign up with Pakenham Taxation + Accounting to receive tips on how to better manage your personal and business tax.
How to Avoid Tax Crime
Date posted: Thursday, May 9, 2013
We’re often impressed by people’s creativity when it comes to attempting to reduce their tax fees. The ATO however, is not always entertained and some individuals and businesses who take a DIY tax reduction approach can find themselves in trouble with the law. A DIY approach to tax reduction can be disastrous and costly. There is no substitute for professional advice. No matter how good you are at making investment decisions, a superior level of taxation management expertise is recommended, as the consequences without can be costly. There are perfectly legal ways to reduce your tax and keep yourself and your business out of the tax-crime-woods. As Pakenham’s leading taxation management hub, we’re able to provide solutions in these basic tax strategy areas:
- Earn tax-free income
- Tax advantage of tax credits
- Defer taxes
- Maximise your tax deductions
- Reduce your tax rate
- Shift Income to others
- Take advantage of your tax exemptions
Be sure to give us a call to make an appointment, for more information on tax saving strategies.
