Yes, Z is for Zzzzzz…as in sleep!

I love sleep…who doesn’t? Like many of us, I often don’t get enough…I’m certainly guilty of burning the candle at both ends!

There’s nothing worse than feeling too tired to do things you like to do and as I get older, I’ve come to know there are some very good reasons for getting a good night sleep, some of these are:

• Safety – not only your safety, but the safety of others is compromised when you are suffering from lack of sleep…accidents can happen and mistakes can be made – is it worth the risk?
• Maintaining a healthy weight – sleep deprivation alters our hormone levels and affects our appetite, is it just me, or does it always seems so much harder to prepare and eat healthy food when you are tired?
• Memory and Brain Function – sleeps helps the brain retain new information, which is imperative in today’s fast paced world…especially when you work in an occupation that requires you to use your brain!
• Mood – sleep loss can cause impatience, inability to concentrate, moodiness and irritability…that’s simply no fun at all!

I’ll be looking for a good night sleep tonight…I’m off to help a good friend celebrate her 40th birthday today…let’s do it!

Regards

It simply wouldn’t be an accounting and taxation blog without a reference to the “year end”…

In Australia, for most of us, the year end or end of financial year is 30th June…and it’s only two months away!

It’s celebrated by Accountants across the country, representing the end of the year that was and the beginning of the year to come, a chance to roll over the workload and take a deep breath before starting all over again…plus it’s the one night of the year you’ll find us all out and about on the town!

On a more serious note though, as a taxpayer, now is the time to start planning…there are many things you can do before 30th June to ease your taxation burden.

If you’ve had multiple jobs during the year, make a note of them so you can keep track of your PAYG Payment Summaries when you receive them.

Both business and individual taxpayers can look at making allowable expense payments to ensure any available deductions fall in the current financial year.

And to those of you paying superannuation…please…please make sure your contributions are received by your superannuation fund BEFORE 30th June (did I emphasise that one enough?)!

Just beware, that while 30th June, 2014 falls on a Monday…the weekend will slow down the processing of payments, so get in early if you can…did I mention it’s only two months away?

Regards

C’mon…X was always going to be a difficult letter to come up with a topic for…so please forgive my play on words here!

As I approach the end of this A-Z Blogging Challenge, I want to send you all my eXtreme thanks…for your support and encouragement!

I’ve received some wonderful feedback via comments, Facebook, personal messages and discussions I’ve had with clients and people around the streets.

This A-Z Blogging Challenge has taught The Tax Chic a thing or two as well:

• Writing is fun…I might not be an award winning author, but being able to translate one’s thoughts into words on a page (or rather a screen…) is hugely satisfying!
• When I write, I write how I talk – one of the comments I received from an old school friend was that she heard my voice when she was reading the blog posts (I hope that’s a good thing!), and
• My penchant for taking notes and being organised has really paid off!

Now let me tackle these last couple of posts…oh, and thanks again!

Regards

Going to work and making it home safely is a right that should be afforded to every worker…sadly, there are many Australian’s who, as the result of workplace accidents, have never made it home…

In addition to fatalities, many more are injured on a daily basis as they go about their work routine.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to maintain a safe workplace, have workers’ compensation insurance in place and a plan to protect yourself and your workers from financial difficulties when an injury or accident occurs.

In Australia, the occupational health and safety (OH&S) and work health and safety (WHS) laws require that in the event of a work-related accident or illness, injured workers have easy access to first aid, workers’ compensation and rehabilitation for a return to work.

There is plenty of information available to both employers and employees on how to keep our workplaces safe, however each State and Territory has their own rules and laws, and you should be familiar with these, especially if you operate your business across borders – you can read information relating to each State and Territory here.

If you’ve got any tips for creating a safe workplace, I’d love to hear them.

Regards