X

518 | The Costly Mistakes Property Owners Make in Their Tax Returns (and How to Avoid Them!) – Chat with Rob Thomson

Folks, in this special episode we’re becoming a fly in the wall to reveal the inner workings of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)!

Allowing us to do so is Rob Thomson, Assistant Commissioner for the Experience, Government and Case Leadership-Individuals and Intermediaries and the official Tax Time spokesperson at the ATO!  

With over a decade of experience, including a stint as Minister Counsellor at the OECD in Paris, Rob brings a wealth of knowledge on the ins and outs of the Australian tax landscape. 

Today, we’re picking his brain to give you a sharp look into the world of property tax, compliance, and the latest changes to regulation that every property investor needs to know. 


Here’s what we cover:  

  • The ATO’s Latest 2021/22 Data 📊 — How many Australians are investing in property, average income reported, and the most common deductions!  
  • Self-Assessment 🧾 — What does it mean, and how the ATO audits your tax return. 
  • Data Matching & Audits 🔍 — How the ATO tracks rental income and expenses, and the surprising mistakes landlords make. 
  • Foreign Resident Capital Gains Withholding 🌏 — Upcoming changes on 1st January and what you need to do to avoid a hefty 15% withholding on property sales. 
  • Claiming Borrowing & Interest Expenses 💰 — The ATO’s latest tools to help you claim accurately and avoid over-reporting deductions. 

For Rob’s expert advice into navigating the complex world of tax and staying compliant, tune in to this episode now! 


Free Stuff  

  • COMING SOON: Moorr’s Greatest Evolution!
    Over 11 million data points are set to be released in early November in Moorr, your all-in-one, free money management solution. Login or create your account now >>
  • Australia’s first property AI to be released next week!
    After months of hard work, we’re launching Australia’s first property AI. Ask your burning questions and our AI assistant will pull up all the relevant episodes, courses, books and more related to your query! Stay tuned for its release next week 🙂  
  • Latest ATO’s tools and articles: Stay informed and maximise your tax savings with the resources below…  

     

  • Guests & Episodes Mentioned:   
    Bradley Beer: Chief Executive Officer of BMT Tax Depreciation  
  • Resources from Ben’s “What’s Making Property News”:  
    Eviction of a tenant from a rental property 


    Timestamps  

    • 0:00 – The Costly Mistakes Property Owners Make in Their Tax Returns (and How to Avoid Them!)  
    • 1:08 – Moorr’s greatest evolution and Australia’s first property AI!?  
    • 8:50 – Mindset Minute: “The rules are not there to restrain you, but to reveal new paths for growth and opportunity.” 
    • 10:17 – Welcome Rob Thomson!  
    • 11:55 – Money Story: Festival or drum kit? 😉  
    • 17:33 – The pivot from not-for-profit to the taxation office  
    • 20:13 – The headline figures from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) 2021/22 data 
    • 24:24 – Why do these numbers matter?   
    • 25:52 – Lag data EXPLAINED 
    • 26:20 – Self Assessment: How does the ATO review your return?  
    • 30:03 – What data does the ATO have on rental properties?  
    • 32:45 – The most common mistakes property investors make  
    • 38:48 – What is the difference between repairs and improvements?  
    • 41:04 – Folks, the timing of when you repair matters! Here’s why.  
    • 43:25 – How to break up the cost of your depreciating assets  
    • 48:15 – The 1st January changes that will affect ALL Australians 
    • 51:03 – What happens if you don’t get a clearance certificate?  
    • 55:48 – How the ATO’s new Borrowing Expenses Calculator can help you!  
    • 58:28 – The $420M problem: Over-claimed interest  
    • 1:01:51 – Everything you need to know about the tax gap  
    • 1:04:15 – Pay As You Go (PAYG): Automatic vs. Voluntary entry  
    • 1:06:57 – Why use PAYG? 
    • 1:08:52 – Rob’s top tax tips and comments  

    And… 

    • 1:12:54 – Thank you, Rob!  
    • 1:15:55 – Lifehack: Embrace the toolkit available to you! 
    • 1:17:40 – WMPN: What does New South Wales’ No Ground Evictions actually mean??

     

Free Spreadsheet: Kids Savings Tracking Calculator

Thank you for your interest in the Kids Savings Tracking Calculator!

This simple calculator was mentioned in Episode 116 where Bryce & Ben discuss guarantor loans + more, as well as Episode 495 where we answer a listener’s question about whether she should put her daughter’s money into an offset account (so that it won’t incur tax) or leave it in her daughter’s own account.

Use this calculator to track contributions, withdrawals and projected cashflow, as well as start the discussion on why it’s important to have financial conversations with your kids.

Just fill in the form below and we’ll send the FREE spreadsheet to your nominated email.

P.S. Once you’ve filled in your details, an email confirming your request will be sent to your nominated email address within the next 5 minutes. Make sure to check your Junk and Promotion folders as well, in case the email gets caught in a filter.






 

Free Resource: Capital Growth Break Even Calculator

Thank you for your interest in the Capital Growth Break Even Calculator!

Just fill in the form below to get the download.






P.S: For those of you who have stumbled on to this post, please do check out Episode 60 where Bryce & Ben discuss building a property portfolio through rentvesting.

Instagram

Free Resources

What to be notified when there are
new updates & free resources?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

×

MONEY SMARTS SYSTEM

Plus We Will Also Notify You When We Release New Episodes

We Only Send You Awesome Stuff

×

SUGGEST A GUEST!

We Only Send You Awesome Stuff

×