News
Westpac has predicted that the housing sector will help to strengthen the Australian economy and pull it out of recession. The housing sector has shown signs of resilience in a slowing economy, aided by first home buyers flooding into the market, off the back of low interest rates and government grants. The bank is predicting […]
The Australian Greens have expressed their concern that the upcoming budget will not deliver enough help and support to the disadvantaged. The Greens believe that Kevin Rudd’s “robbing the rich to pay the poor”, aided by plans to tax the rich in order to fund pension increases line was a farce, with the people who […]
The Federal Budget should address the export sector and increase funding for the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) scheme if Australia is to remain globally competitive, says Ian Murray, executive director of the Australian Institute of Export. “Every dollar spent on EMDG generates up to $27 of exports. Recipients of the scheme in 2006/07 did […]
The Federal Government is expected shake-up to the private health industry in next week’s budget, slashing the 30 percent private health insurance rebate for middle and high income earners. According to reports in The Australian, single people earning more than $74,000 a year and couples on more than $150,000 a year will see their insurance […]
The global financial crisis has financial institutions running scared and looking to conduct a thorough overhaul of their risk management procedures, according to a global study conducted by Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of SAS. The global survey of 334 financial services executives revealed only 33 percent believe their principles of risk management in financial […]
A recent study conducted by ROI Research and Epsilon has shown that investing in email marketing can have a significant impact on purchasing behaviour and customer loyalty, both online and offline. The study found that across all industries of business, 57 percent of consumers feel more positive about companies who send them email, 40 percent […]
The latest retail trade figures has revealed that small business retailers experienced a strong growth in turnover during March 2009. Smaller retailers recorded a seasonally adjusted increase in turnover of 2.9 per cent in March which compares favourably with the 2.2 per cent increase in total retail trade.” Small Business Minister Craig Emerson said that […]
If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s rudeness and lack of manners and I encountered this on both legs of my UK/Australia trip last month. I was very lucky to be upgraded to business class (thank you, dear Emirates) for part of my journey, and the other part was spent in cattle class. Now, […]
The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and Total Environment Centre (TEC) have called for a stop to e-waste, as the problem escalates out of control. The information group and environment body are calling for an urgent introduction of mandatory recycling for consumer electronic waste, with Australians generating up to 140,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, only […]
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) has proposed a major shake-up of the payroll tax system, calling for the state to give businesses a 50 percent payroll tax. CCIQ have asked the Federal Government to provide the state of Queensland with $3 billion to fund the payroll tax cuts, in order to create […]
The Government’s $900 stimulus payments, or “cash splashes” as labelled by the Opposition, seem to be having quite a positive effect on the retail industry, driving retail sales higher than expected in March. According to ABS figures, sales climbed 2.2 percent, as consumers spent $19.3 billion for the month. JP Morgan economist Helen Kevans said […]
Taxpayers are facing seven years of Government debt, with the budget deficit spilling out over close to 70 billion dollars, double what was forecast by the Government in February. Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan is warning the impact of the recession will mean the budget will remain in the red for longer than initially expected, expected […]
Web hosting company OzHosting.com have announced a return to the hosting marketing with new online collaboration services for small and medium businesses. Partnering with Microsoft, OzHosting.com will allow business owners to take their business online faster through a range of self service online tools allowing them to access email anywhere through a Microsoft Hosted Exchange, […]
To celebrate its new look for Skype for Business, Skype has announced a business competition offering companies worldwide the opportunity to share their experiences on how their business relies on and benefits from its use of Skype. The competition is open to businesses in the Asia Pacific, EMEA and Americas region who use Skype to […]
In order to help small businesses confront the challenges the economic crisis has presented, MYOB are holding a series of ‘Tackling Tough Times’ seminars during May and June.
Vodafone Australia has unveiled a new range of Single Business Cap plans, enabling small businesses to utilise Vodafone’s new 3G services. The new cap offers businesses a number of new services bundled together to ensure they can always be reached no matter where they are. The Cap offers a bundle of ‘minutes’ of talk-time, text […]
Australian consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about password security and the methods organisations use to verify their identity, according to a new study by Sydney-based research company, callcentres.net. The 2009 Salmat VeCommerce Identity Verification Study highlights consumers’ fears that traditional PINs and passwords do not provide adequate protection of their personal information, with 67 per […]
Recent reports released by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) have shown than more Australians are dobbing in others to the taxman than ever before. The ATO Tax Evasion Hotline has received 30,500 reports from the community last year, along with a further 16,000 complaints received by employees in relation to employers’ superannuation guarantee obligations. accountantsRus […]
The latest NAB SME Survey Australia – March 2009 has revealed that while business conditions for small and medium businesses are poor in every state, there are signs of optimism with business confidence for the March quarter showing moderate improvement. The survey indicated that while business conditions fell eight points and only 19 percent of […]
Aaahh … Federal Budget week. It always brings so much joy to accountants throughout Australia. Why? Because you matter who is in Government and no matter how long they have been in power, they always feel that there is a need to tinker with the tax rules. FBT, CGT, GST, Simple Super, Simplified Tax System, […]
