Salus Private Wealth Logo

Latest News

Labor tweaks stage 3 tax cuts to make room for ‘middle Australia’

Following years of mixed messaging, Labor has bowed to economic pressure and announced changes to its stage three tax cuts.

.

Only those earning less than $150,000 will benefit from the impending tax cuts, which were originally slated to abolish the 37 per cent tax bracket applied to income between $120,000 and $180,000 and reduce the 32.5 per cent tax rate to 30 per cent for all incomes between $45,000 and $200,000.

However, with rising inflation and consequent increases to interest rates, Labor has pivoted to make room for cost-of-living ease for middle Australia, effectively scrapping the already legislated stage three rollout – something Prime Minister Albanese said he would not do going into the last election.

This means that those earning $200,000 or more will receive a $4,529 cut, instead of the legislated $9,075 they were due to receive from 1 July.

Under the changes, the 19 per cent tax rate that applies to incomes between the $18,200 tax-free threshold and $45,000 will be lowered to 16 per cent.

Those earning between $45,000 and $135,000 will be taxed at 30 per cent, while the 37 per cent tax rate will be reinstated and apply to incomes between $135,000 and $190,000, after which the 45 per cent rate will apply.

This means that someone on $73,000 will receive a tax cut over $1,500, more than double the amount under the previous plan, while somebody on $100,000 will have their tax cut increased from $1,375 to $2,179.

On Thursday before the National Press Club, Prime Minister Albanese said: “Our government will deliver a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer”.

"This is a plan for middle Australia that delivers for every Australian taxpayer, right up and down the income ladder,” he said.

The tax cuts won't hurt inflation, he said.

“This option is broadly revenue neutral and will not add to inflationary pressures,” the PM cited a Treasury report and added that there are no implications for the Reserve Bank’s forecasts.

“Some would say that we should stay the course, even if it means going to the wrong destination.

“To them I say, we are choosing a better way forward given the changed circumstances.”

The PM also added that his government will increase the low-income threshold at which the Medicare levy applies.

According to media reports, the government plans to launch an ad campaign to help sell its obvious backflip.

‘Different position for best reason’

Doing the media rounds on Thursday morning, Treasurer Jim Chalmers defended Labor’s surprise move, noting that the government has “come to a different position” for “the best possible reason”, which is “we can provide more tax relief for more people to help them with the cost‑of‑living”.

“Now we are being upfront with people and saying we have come to a different view. We've come to a different view because what we're proposing today is better for middle Australia, better for cost‑of‑living pressures, better for women and workforce participation and better for the economy, without adding to the inflationary pressures that we are dealing with,” Mr Chalmers told ABC Radio.

Questioned about whether these broken promises could be costly for Labor, Mr Chalmers said “what we're doing here is we're putting people before politics”.

“Of course, these will be politically contentious. Our opponents will play their usual mindless, nasty, negative politics over this.

“We understand that but I believe you build trust by making the right decisions for the right reasons in the interests of the people and when you come to a different view, as we have, you front up and explain why the circumstances have changed, why our position has changed and how people will benefit from what we are proposing today”.

In the lead-up to last year’s May budget, Treasurer Chalmers was, however, selling a different story, reinforcing at the time that the government would push ahead with stage three tax cuts.

This story would later shift to suggest that Labor was prepared to re-evaluate the tax cuts if inflation remained an issue.

 

Maja Garaca Djurdjevic
29 January 2024
smsfadviser.com

Latest News

Louise Laing

Louise founded Salus Private Wealth to offer high quality personal advice to clients who want to work closely with an adviser for the long term. Her philosophy that understanding each individual and their motivations and needs is key to an enduring and successful financial planning relationship is at the heart of the business.

She first engaged the services of a financial adviser herself when she was in her early 20s (long before becoming one) and believes the non-judgemental support and education about her position and options provided at this early stage has allowed her to make confident decisions in different aspects of life since then.

This confidence and positivity in making choices, financial or not, is what she wants to give to her clients.

Superannuation & Retirement

Superannuation is one of the largest and longest duration investments most people in Australia have, making it a critical part of long-term planning even if retirement feels like a distant objective. For those in the lead into retirement, we design strategies so you have peace of mind that when you start to draw on your retirement savings, you have liquidity and stability to support that.

Legislation and rules are changed regularly, so advice can help you take advantage of opportunities to build for the future. We are authorised to provide advice on and to SMSFs.

Contact us today to discuss how we can work together: (02) 8044 3057 or email us at info@saluspw.com.au

Insurance

Protecting your wealth, lifestyle and family is high on the priority list for many clients and this is an area of advice need that can change very quickly. Ensuring you have the cover you need can give peace of mind that what’s important is taken care of in the event of illness, injury and death, but we also make sure over time you are not paying for cover you no longer need.

Contact us today to discuss how we can work together: (02) 8044 3057 or email us at info@saluspw.com.au

Estate Planning

While talking about death doesn’t seem like a particularly appealing prospect, it’s a topic we see as a vital part of financial planning. Importantly, it’s a topic for every adult, regardless of their stage in life. Without a proper estate plan assets may not be passed where you’d like them to go, family conflict can ensue, and in the event you lose capacity there may not be an authority in place for the person you would choose to make those decisions for you to do so. While it can be an uncomfortable subject, we are experienced in facilitating these conversations as part of our advice process.

Contact us today to discuss how we can work together: (02) 8044 3057 or email us at info@saluspw.com.au

Strategic Debt & Cashflow

Managing debt efficiently can have a material impact on your financial wellbeing and lifestyle. Having a solid plan to understand where your money goes and manage cashflow and debt can eliminate stress and set you on a positive path toward achieving your goals.

Contact us today to discuss how we can work together: (02) 8044 3057 or email us at info@saluspw.com.au

Investments

Once we have a clear understanding of what we are aiming for and how you feel about taking on investment risk, we can help direct your funds into appropriate investments to meet your goals. This includes recommending the investment structure, consideration of tax implications, asset types, and putting together a suitable blend for you. You will have transparency of and access to view your investments, providing security.

Contact us today to discuss how we can work together: (02) 8044 3057 or email us at info@saluspw.com.au

Aged Care

Aged care needs can arise suddenly. The complexity of managing this can be a significant challenge at a time when your focus should be on the person requiring care. We can assess the alternative funding options to ensure you make an informed choice in the best interests of the person requiring care.

Contact us today to discuss how we can work together: (02) 8044 3057 or email us at info@saluspw.com.au

Tax Diary

General Calculators

 

Financial Videos

Secure File Transfer

Secure File Transfer is a facility that allows the safe and secure exchange of confidential files or documents between you and us.

Email is very convenient in our business world, there is no doubting that. However email messages and attachments can be intercepted by third parties, putting your privacy and identity at risk if used to send confidential files or documents. Secure File Transfer eliminates this risk.

Login to Secure File Transfer, or contact us if you require a username and password.

General Disclaimer

Website Disclaimer

The Trustee for Laing Weaver Family Trust T/A Salus Private Wealth (Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1305571) and all our advisers are Authorised Representatives of Finchley & Kent Pty Ltd, Australian Financial Services Licence No. 555169, ABN 50 673 291 079, and has its registered office at Level 63, 25 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000.

Finchley & Kent Pty Ltd Australian Financial Services Licence applies to financial products only. Please note that Property Investment, Tax & Accounting, Mortgages & Finance are not considered to be financial products.

Disclaimer: The information contained within the website is of a general nature only. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material, The Trustee for Laing Weaver Family Trust T/A Salus Private Wealth and Finchley & Kent Pty Ltd will not bear responsibility or liability for any action taken by any person, persons or organisation on the purported basis of information contained herein. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, no person, persons or organisation should invest monies or take action on reliance of the material contained herein but instead should satisfy themselves independently of the appropriateness of such action.