Clients, Gifts and the Footy

Part two of three. Client lunches get no FBT, no deduction and no GST credit, but a genuine business gift to a client is deductible under a binding ruling. Harvey Green on gifts, gift cards, the footy, corporate boxes and sponsorship.

Coffee, Clients and the Christmas Party: What You Can Actually Claim

Can you claim the Christmas party? Entertainment is not deductible unless FBT applies, and the exempt outcome is usually cheapest. Harvey Green works through office coffee, Friday drinks, the cafe downstairs, partners, the band and the $300 rule.

The Trust Tax Wasn't Dropped: What the Draft Law Actually Says

The 30 per cent minimum tax on discretionary trusts was not dropped. The draft law released on 3 September keeps the 1 July 2028 start and adds a way to stay out of it without restructuring. Harvey Green explains the three paths.

Payday Super: Two Months In, and What's Actually Biting

Payday Super is two months old and the pattern is clear. Very few employers are paying more. The ones in trouble paid on time and the money landed late, counted business days off the wrong calendar, or still used a clearing house that has closed.

The Medicare Levy, the Surcharge, and the Cover That Doesn't Count

Plenty of people pay for private health insurance every month and pay the Medicare levy surcharge anyway. The policy looks right, the rebate arrives, the statement turns up, and none of it counts for this.

Division 293: The Tax Bill That Arrives After You've Already Paid Your Tax

You have already lodged, been assessed and paid. Then a second bill arrives with a number you were not expecting. That is Division 293, and the $250,000 line that triggers it has not moved since 2017.

The Thousand Dollar Deduction: What It's Actually Worth

You've seen the headline: a $1,000 instant tax deduction, no receipts required. What almost nobody tells you is what it's worth in your pocket. The honest answer is closer to $200 than $1,000, and there's a record-keeping trap inside it.

The Three Million Dollar Question: Division 296 Explained

Everyone argued about the $3 million super tax. Almost nobody read what actually passed. Division 296 is now law, it applies from 1 July 2026, and the version on the statute book is meaningfully different from the one that caused all the noise.

The ATO's 2026 Hit List: Data Matching, Side Hustles and Dodgy AI Advice

The ATO has stopped waiting for you to make a mistake. It now uses data matching and AI to find errors before most people realise they've made one, and this year it added a new warning: don't get your tax advice from a chatbot.

Your Tax Return, Your Way: Email or Appointment

Everyone knows they should use an accountant at tax time. What most people don't realise is there are two completely different ways to do it with us, and one of them never involves leaving your couch.

On the Tools: A Tradie's Guide to Deductions and Myth-Busting

Tradies and construction workers spend more of their own money on work than almost anyone, the tools, the safety gear, the ute, the tickets. So why do so many hand the tax office hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars they never needed to?

Sold! The Real Estate Agent's Playbook Part 2: Advanced Deductions and Myth-Busting

Real estate agents run their own small business inside someone else's brand. You drive everywhere, work every weekend, and spend your own money to win the listing, so why do so many agents claim the bare minimum and hand the tax office thousands?