Author Archives: The Tax Chic

Business in Heels and The Victorian Dance Festival

Vic Dance FestivalpngBusiness in Heels – South West Victoria is proud to partner with the Victorian Dance Festival for 2016 to present their Welcome Cocktail Event!

Festival founder Kate Meade is a strong supporter of the Business in Heels network and we were delighted to accept her invitation to collaborate on this project.

The event will be held at Warrnambool’s Lighthouse Theatre on Friday 15th April, 2016 from 6pm – 8pm – there’ll be a drink on arrival and canapés to delight, and of course the coveted “best shoe prize” is up for grabs and a value packed goodie bag is available for all attendees.

For more information and to buy tickets, please follow this link: http://businessinheels.com/fevent/274/victorian-dance-festival-welcome-cocktail-event/

With around 2000 participants expected across the weekend, this is a major coup for Warrnambool – well done Kate!

Regards

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Job applications!

checklistIn 2014, Job Mobility Australia released the following statement:

Australia’s job mobility is a long way from job for life- in fact it’s closer to three jobs per decade!

Today the national average tenure in a job is 3.3 years (3 years and 4 months), based on voluntary turnover of around 15% per annum.

Which means at some stage most of us are going to have to apply for a job – and I have been asked numerous times exactly how to go about this?  My answer is always based on firm guidelines teamed with flexibility based on the proposed employer (clear as mud?)

My firm guidelines relate to:

  • having a clear and concise resume including being honest – even in an online submission you are declaring the information is accurate
  • always print on plain paper using a clear font (unless handwritten is requested)
  • ask referees permission before including them on a resume and keep them up to date with the applications you have made so they know who might be calling them
  • regularly collect information about yourself and collate in an accessible format (awards, achievements and articles etc)

The flexibility comes into play:

  • lodgement of application may be by mail, e-mail or face to face depending on what is requested
  • follow the exact instructions from the proposed employer
  • allow your personality to shine through (if this means you don’t get the job, it wasn’t the right one for you anyway)

Finally, it’s always worth having someone you trust look over your application to check for spelling errors and anything else that might stand out.

Good luck!

Regards

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It’s Easter time 2016!

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????I talked last week about Public Holidays and here’s the next round…

This Easter I’ll also be celebrating a family friend’s 40th birthday, a baptism and my gorgeous niece’s 1st birthday – I’m very excited!

But what can we do for our economy at this time?

Obviously I’ll be out buying presents for the above occasions this week, and I’ll spend money on chocolate (lots of it) and seafood for our Good Friday celebrations, all of which goes to boosting our economy…and I’ll be sparing a thought for all the people working over this period of time.

Remember, each and every person serving you in stores, cafes, hotels and the like is taking time away from their family and friends to be at work – yes they get paid, but there needs to be a balance – so please be respectful.

If you’re travelling, please stay safe on the roads and have a wonderful time!

Regards

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Crunch time for your logbook

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????There are now only two methods for calculating motor vehicle claims in your tax return – the cents per kilometre method and the log book method.

Here’s some information from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website explaining the log book method:

  • Your claim is based on the business-use percentage of the expenses for the car
  • Expenses include running costs and decline in value but not capital costs, such as the purchase price of your car, the principal on any money borrowed to buy it and any improvement costs
  • To work out your business-use percentage, you need a logbook and the odometer readings for the logbook period. The logbook period is a minimum continuous period of 12 weeks
  • You can claim fuel and oil costs based on either your actual receipts or you can estimate the expenses based on odometer records that show readings from the start and the end of the period you had the car during the year
  • You need written evidence for all other expenses for the car

So if you plan to use the log book method this year, you best start your logbook as soon as possible so you can complete the continuous 12 week period in this financial year!

Regards

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