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FBT – Christmas Parties and Taxi Fare/Rideshare

Some employers, who are commendably anxious to protect their employees and clients from the drink/driving laws, also pay for taxis/rideshare to and from the place of entertainment.

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For FBT purposes there may be different consequences for payment of the taxi fare.  For clients, the taxi fare is considered to be part of the entertainment expense and no deduction is allowable.  For employees, if the fare is for travel from home to the place of entertainment (not being their place of employment) and return home again, the benefit is considered to be for the facilitation of entertainment and is not a separate benefit from the entertainment itself.

The result is that the employer would then have to rely on the total entertainment package being under $300 for the minor benefit rule to apply.

However, if the Christmas function is held on the employer’s premises, the taxi trip is FBT exempt if it is a single trip beginning or ending at the employer’s premises. For example, the exemption would apply if the employee went from the workplace to home, or any other place. 

However, the exemption would not apply if the trip was broken and continued at some other time.  For example, the employee gets a taxi from the workplace and goes out to a nightclub; that trip is deductible and exempt from FBT.  If the employee later gets another cab to home, that leg of the trip would be deductible to the employer but FBT would be payable.

Note however, that if the employer is using the 50/50 split method of calculating FBT and deductions, the taxi travel would always be included in the cost of entertainment, and there would be no exempt journey for travel from the workplace to home.

Uber and other ride sharing services are now also included for FBT exemption as taxi services, after recent changes to the FBT Act, from 1st April 2019.

 

 

 

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Andrew Martin CA

Born in Mansfield in the Victorian high country, Andrew started school in Orbost. After graduating from Melbourne University in 1992, Andrew commenced his career with what was then Price Waterhouse (now PWC). Andrew moved to Bairnsdale in 1995 and has lived in East Gippsland ever since. One of the founders of the practice in 2000, the year GST came to Australia, Andrew is married to Michelle, a third generation East Gippsland resident, and proud father of Nelson and Georgia, who attended local schools for their primary and secondary education.

Andrew and Georgia are keen participants in triathlon and multi-sport events, and in 2022 participated as father and daughter in the Age Group Triathlon World Championships in Abu Dahbi. This year, they will participate together in the Multi-Sport World Championships in Townsville.

As the owner and founder of a business in East Gippsland, Andrew understands the local issues that impact on your business. The impact of flood, bush fires, drought, and the vagaries of world commodity prices can be better understood when you are deeply immersed in the local community.

Dealing with banks and the Australian Taxation Office when you live in a rural area is easier to understand when they happen in your back yard.

Ryan Gaul CA

Ryan, a Chartered Accountant, relocated from Essendon to Lakes Entrance in 2020 to be with his wife, Morgan. In Melbourne, Ryan worked under the guidance of accountant and player manager Peter Jess, serving clients that ranged from small to medium-sized businesses, AFL players, entertainers, and athletes.

After his move to Lakes Entrance, he joined Martin Taylor Associates. Since joining the firm Ryan has enjoyed the challenges of the agricultural sector and has worked closely with Andrew to develop his knowledge in this area.

Ryan is actively involved in the local community. He joined the Buchan Football Netball Club as a player and took on the role of Treasurer. He also serves as the Treasurer for the East Gippsland Farm Dog Group. Ryan’s wife Morgan runs her own speech pathology business which services the East Gippsland region.

Jan Roach

Jan has worked in public accounting in Orbost for 40 years and is one of the founders of the practice. Married to Johno (now retired long-term builder), proud mother of Adam, Paul and Nick and proud grandmother to Owen, Tess, Teagan, and Millie.

Having been in business, Jan understands compliance can sometimes be overwhelming, and will help you navigate the right path. Jan has a strong affiliation with our trade and primary producer clients.

Kerry Ellis

Kerry has worked in administration in public accounting and legal practices for nearly 15 years. Kerry understands when you contact us, you need to talk to someone who has or can get an answer to your query. Kerry controls the workflow in our practice and manages our interactions with the ATO, ASIC and the banks. Kerry understands the challenges of providing information to big bank data centres and dealing with Centrelink.

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