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Thread: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

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    Member beegreen's Avatar
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    Default Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    Hi guys,

    Only a newbie on the Sunshine Coast & need to know best plan of attack for my first business tax return. I organised an ATO officer come visit just prior to me starting out to run through a few things to ensure i was compliant with everything. He said since it's a small business, i can do my tax returns using their free e-tax service online but after playing around with it for a bit it seems a little too complicated for me especially when i want to make sure I claim as much as possible since the business ran at a loss after initial start up costs.

    Does anyone use the ATO online tax service or is it easier to just find a good accountant & be done with it?

    Cheers, Pete

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    get a good accountant
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  3. #3
    Member beegreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    Cheers Ian... thought that might be the case.

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    Member of Forum Stripes's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    There are so many things the accountant will know to claim that you won't know about. Well worth paying someone and you should get much more than the outlay back in your tax return.

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    Member AYM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    I've been wondering the same thing myself. I'm broke, but I suppose I could spend what's left on my bartercard on an accountant
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    Senior Member MikeS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    I do all my family and many friend's on Etax, some are quite complicated, I have completed courses in bookkeeping however it was many years ago and I would say I know what I am doing.

    But for the business I still use an accountant it only costs me $165, but the fact is they do this for a living and keep up with all the law's and changes that are a fact in modern tax life, it's well worth the money.

  7. #7
    Senior Member 4 Gardens's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    Accountant for the business - no question about it

    I do my wifes on ETAX - she is a teacher

  8. #8
    Member Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    Quote Originally Posted by beegreen View Post
    Hi guys,

    Only a newbie on the Sunshine Coast & need to know best plan of attack for my first business tax return. I organised an ATO officer come visit just prior to me starting out to run through a few things to ensure i was compliant with everything. He said since it's a small business, i can do my tax returns using their free e-tax service online but after playing around with it for a bit it seems a little too complicated for me especially when i want to make sure I claim as much as possible since the business ran at a loss after initial start up costs.

    Does anyone use the ATO online tax service or is it easier to just find a good accountant & be done with it?

    Cheers, Pete
    I would go the accountant as you have to depricate stuff and its a bit too complicated for person when its a buisness compared to personal
    Tender Lovin Lawn and Garden Care
    We do everything for your lawn and garden with tender loving care
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  9. #9
    Senior Member geoff's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    just thought you guys might like to read this..its from the ATO site ...very interesting
    Lawn mowing and garden services

    http://www.ato.gov.au/content.aspx?d...0&mfp=&st=&cy=

  10. #10
    Senior Member geoff's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?


  11. #11
    Member Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    I do etax for a lot of family and friends but buissness has to be done by accountant as you have to write stuff off and depreciate and thats all complicated
    Tender Lovin Lawn and Garden Care
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  12. #12
    Senior Member geoff's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    Quote Originally Posted by geoff View Post
    just thought you guys might like to read this..its from the ATO site ...very interesting
    Lawn mowing and garden services

    http://www.ato.gov.au/content.aspx?d...0&mfp=&st=&cy=
    just finished my BAS for this quarter and dont know about you guys but the ATO guideline of around 50% expenses i find difficult to achieve..be lucky to have 30 % some times less

  13. #13
    Senior Member Chris B's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    thats what i was thinking. im guessing thats all the start up business buying cars / machines etc?? im guessing a lot of business' start up then close down within a couple years so high expenses??

  14. #14
    Senior Member Chris B's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    they updated that to 2012 http://www.ato.gov.au/content/00304785.htm
    changed it to be more focused on expenses not labour

  15. #15
    Senior Member geoff's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tax Return Time.. e-tax or accountant?

    good one chris, seems a bit more realist..nice to be in the threshold range , people under it come under the ato radar they tell me...look out for those non registered gst people lol

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