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CAR PARKING FBT VALUATION

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2024 FBT TRAINING WORKSHOPS

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The registration page is now open for our 2024 FBT Training Roadshow.  https://fbtsolutions.com.au/fbt-return-preparation-full-day-workshops/

With all the FBT and Salary Packaging changes over the past few years – our full day FBT Training Workshops will ensure your fully up to date and equipped to prepare (or review) your 2024 FBT Return and Employee Reportable Fringe Benefits amounts (RFBA’s).

We have two NEW key inclusions for 2024. All registrants will receive:

  1. A copy of our NEW 2024 FBT Manager Tool; and
  2. Complimentary registration to our 2024 Salary Packaging Essentials Webinar for a new year including FBT Year End reporting requirements

2024 FBT Return Preparation – Full Day Workshops (FACE TO FACE and ONLINE)



I recently hosted a webinar “Let’s Talk FBT with the ATO” – in this webinar the ATO provided insight to the their approach to FBT, ranging from helping employers through to FBT audits and non-compliance.
If your new to FBT (or a bit stale on the latest FBT rules) or not sure about your own FBT obligations or your clients FBT obligations, I highly recommend you invest the time (90 minutes) to watch this webinar recording – it’s free. (Link to recording is below.)
To a large extent the content covered was based on webinar registrants own FBT issues and challenges. Further, regular Live Q and A was provided throughout the webinar for the highly engaged audience.

The ATO discussed:
1. FBT Pillars – the 4 steps to getting FBT right
2. FBT and our changing environment
3. The role of the ATO
4. ATO resources
5. The use of third party information and data matching to target FBT non-compliance
6. Guidance on the distinction between meal entertainment and sustenance

The ATO highlighted common mistakes employers make in relation to:
1. Employee Contributions
2. Consolidated FBT returns
3. Reportable Fringe Benefits amounts
4. Passenger cars and misunderstandings around private use
5. Utes and other non-passenger vehicles – myths and defining limited private use

The ATO also provided examples of recent FBT audit activity, including:
1. Invalid Logbooks and private use;
2. Ineffective Employee Contributions by way of journal entry
3. Incorrectly claiming exemption on Dual Cab Utes;
4. Capping the FBT base value at the luxury car limit

Finally, we discussed FBT Registration – when registration is required and why registration is important – even when you may think registration is not required.
A big thank you to Jennifer Madigan and her team for an insightful and well received FBT presentation.

Please copy the following link to your browser to access the recording:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4232469289267235247


If there was any doubt that Motor Vehicles is the biggest issue, the ATO have confirmed their concerns and provide examples where based on ATO data and risk models, they will select an employer for a FBT car review to check if the company is meeting its FBT obligations.

Motor vehicles

We see a significant level of non-compliance in situations where an employer provides a motor vehicle to an employee (or their associate) for their private travel or makes it available to use privately.

Situations that concern us include when employers:

  • treat cars as 100% business use, even though they are used or available for private purposes
  • don’t have a valid log book, or the log book is not a representative sample of actual travel
  • treat all eligible commercial vehicles as FBT exempt, without considering if the private use of the vehicle was limited.

ATO Example One: identifying private use

Eve is the owner and sole director of a company, Eve’s Consultancy Business Pty Ltd (ECB). Eve arranges for ECB to purchase a car, which she uses to visit clients and for other work-related travel.

Eve considers the car to be a business car because it is owned by the company and has a sign on the side with the business name. Therefore, ECB does not keep a log book and does not lodge an FBT return.

Based on our data and risk models, we select ECB for an FBT car review to check if the company is meeting its FBT obligations.

During the review, Eve explains that the car is garaged at her home and she uses it for her daily commute to the office.

We advise Eve that:

  • home to work travel is private use
  • when a car is garaged at an employee’s home (as a director of ECB, Eve is considered an employee for FBT purposes), the car is considered to be available for their private use
  • in both instances a car fringe benefit has been provided and FBT applies.

We provide Eve with information about how to calculate FBT using the statutory formula method (she can’t use the operating cost method because there is no log book). She agrees to lodge an FBT return for ECB.

ATO Example Two: limited private use of eligible vehicles

BTE is an engineering business. It has a fleet of dual cab utes (with a carrying capacity of less than 1 tonne) and sedans, which its employees use to attend business sites and visit clients.

BTE considers that FBT doesn’t apply to the vehicles because the utes are eligible commercial vehicles and the sedans are only used for business purposes. Therefore, BTE does not lodge an FBT return.

Based on our data and risk models, we select BTE for an FBT car review to check if the business is meeting its FBT obligations.

The review identifies that the sedans remain at the office and the utes are taken home by employees and used for private purposes (such as weekend sport and camping trips).

We advise BTE that the private use of the utes must be limited to be an exempt benefit (see PCG 2018/3 Exempt car benefits and exempt residual benefits: compliance approach to determining private use of vehicles). The utes were used for extensive private purposes therefore these conditions have not been met. In this situation a car fringe benefit has been provided and FBT applies.

We provide BTE with information about how to calculate FBT. The business lodges an FBT return.

 


Do you provide car parking to your employees?

The definition of a Commercial Car Parking Station has broadened…we are all aware of the “big name” Commercial Parking Station operators, but from 1 April 2022 – the definition has been broadened significantly.

Is the parking provided within 1 kilometre of a:

  1. Shopping Centre

  2. Hospital

  3. University

  4. Hotel

  5. Airport

  6. Council

  7. Pay and Display

Understand if your locations are caught by the new rules. We can help you assess exposure & cost.

TIME TO ASSESS YOUR LIABILITY TO FBT – CHECK OUT THE 2023 CAR PARKING HOT SPOT LOCATIONS:

 2023 CAR PARKING FBT HOTSPOTS