EXPERT BLOGS
Claiming airfares against your Aussie tax.
Australian property tax and expatriate tax expert STEVE DOUGLAS explains the grounds under which you can recover airfares back to Australia.
Q Can I claim my airfares back to Australia against my tax?
A Yes, you can claim the cost of travelling to Australia against your tax provided you’re collecting rental on an Australian property. And to justify your claim, part of your trip must be spent inspecting the property. When deciding how much of the airfare you can claim, the Australian Taxation Office looks at the main reason for your trip. If the primary purpose of the trip was property related – such as overseeing a tenant changeover or major repair works – you are able to claim your airfare in full. You can also claim other travel expenses for hotels, meals, car hire and other associated costs for the relevant number of days of property-related activity.
Trips made to find or acquire a property can offset future capital gains only when the acquired property is eventually sold. However, if you’re already collecting rental the trips are claimable against your annual income tax. If the trip has a dual purpose, such as returning to Australia to visit family over Easter while also tending to your property, you can claim your airfare on a pro rata basis. So for example, if you spend two days of a 10-day trip attending to your property, you can only claim 20 percent of your airfare and two days of hotel and meal costs against your Australian income tax returns.
If you’re travelling with other family members, you can only claim their expenses if their names are on the property title. For the record, it’s not worth putting your kids on the title to boost this claim as it can create all sorts of subsequent problems. To ensure your claims are lodged without any hiccups, keep a simple diary to confirm your activities and keep receipts of your airfare and other expenses. Frequent Flyer tickets can only be claimed for the actual cost of the ticket, which is usually just the airport tax. The implied ticket value cannot be claimed. There’s no maximum number of trips you can claim in any year, so each visit is eligible for a deduction as long as it’s justified.
Why it’s best to establish a strong understanding between lawyer and client.
Lawyer-mediator Rajan Chettiar explores the importance of communication and understanding between you and your lawyer.
Divorce proceedings are often fraught with emotion. It wasn’t until I became involved in my own divorce that I truly understood the client’s position. A family law practitioner is not only a lawyer, they become a confidante, walking the last part of the client’s marriage-ending journey with them. The client often emotionally exposes his most vulnerable self to the lawyer and the lawyer needs to understand the personal traits of the client – background, marriage and the challenges associated with these. While this helps to build a good professional relationship, it also makes it personal. Someone once said to me, “When you really care it shows, and when you pretend to care it also shows.” A family lawyer is a professional with a heart who, from my experience, needs to be empathetic, caring and supportive. We must have a genuine desire to help others. It’s also useful to cultivate skills such as counselling and people management. I believe my compassion and genuine love and deep desire to help others constantly motivates me when practising family law.
Clients often have endless fears, which should be immediately addressed to ease emotional discomfort. This is usually directed in the form of telephone calls, text messages and emails – sometimes after office hours and on weekends. Marital woes typically arise during the evenings and weekends, and clients like to know their lawyer is accessible during those hours. Often divorce lawyers have to serve their clients beyond the call of duty. My clients have all my contact numbers and are encouraged to call me at any time. To the client, their matter is the important case the lawyer is handling. If your lawyer doesn’t have the time, patience or seems disinterested, you’ll only feel frustrated and angry, and probably take your case to another lawyer. The process of building trust within a lawyer-client relationship then has to begin all over again.
Age and life experience often enables a lawyer to help a client effectively. As a divorcee myself, I never hesitate to share my life lessons with my clients. At the same time, I also apply any lessons learned from my clients to my own remarriage. One of the rewards of my position is that I’m constantly reminded of how I should conduct my own marriage and how best to keep it safe and secure. After all, marriage is the most significant life-long relationship in a person’s life – it needs to be nurtured and any hiccups should be promptly attended to.
Rajan Chettiar Commissioner For Oaths, Mediator LLB (Honours), Barrister-at-law (Middle Temple), UK
How vitamin deficiency affects your oral health.
Dr Tatiana Luebke of SMILEFOCUS reveals how vitamin deficiencies can affect your smile.
Don’t be surprised if at your next dental visit you’re not just getting advice on good dental hygiene, but also about a healthy diet. This isn’t because your dentist wants to compare recipes, but because good health directly correlates to good dental health. The mouth is often the first place to shows signs of vitamin deficiencies. Vitamins function primarily as catalysts for chemical reactions within the body, so a lack of these essential elements can lead to the breakdown of normal body functions, making you more susceptible to disease and other health-related problems. Your dentist can identify oral problems and determine whether a vitamin deficiency is indeed the cause.
A lack of vitamin B complex can lead to mouth and teeth problems – your tongue swells up and you may experience trouble swallowing. The insides of your cheek may also be affected – the tissue looks pale, breaks apart and sloughs off easily. A deficiency in folic acid – also in the vitamin B group (B9) – can result in a burning sensation in the mouth, especially on the tongue. If you have severe B12 and folic acid deficiencies you may experience numbness, tingling limbs and gastrointestinal problems. Folic acid is also critical to healthy foetal development during early pregnancy.
Meat, milk, nuts and enriched grains are good sources of vitamin B. The body only requires vitamins in very small amounts – only hundredths of a gram in many cases. Common sources of vitamin B complex are:
Thiamin (B1) Pork, liver, whole and enriched grains, legumes and nuts.
Riboflavin (B2) Milk, milk products, eggs, meats, broccoli, whole and enriched grains.
Niacin (B3) Milk, eggs, meat, poultry fish, nuts, whole and enriched grains.
Pyroxidine (B6) Meat, poultry, fish, green leafy vegetables, bananas, enriched grains and legumes.
Folic acid (B9) also called folate Green leafy vegetables, oranges, legumes, broccoli, asparagus and fortified cereals. Fish, meat, poultry, milk and milk products, eggs and fortified cereals.
Insufficient vitamin C can lead to bleeding gums, loose teeth and poor healing. And a lack of vitamin D can cause enamel hypoplasia – where teeth have less than the normal amount of enamel, resulting in small dents or grooves on the outer surface of the affected tooth. Not only is the surface of the tooth rough but the defects are often brown or yellow in appearance.
Discuss your recommended vitamin requirements with your physician or dentist at your next appointment. A balanced diet is the best protection in keeping a strong body and mind – and a healthy smile.
Dr Tatiana Luebke B.D.S. (Bristol) Dr Tatiana Luebke qualified from the University of Bristol more than 10 years ago. Having practiced in Brazil, France and now Singapore, Dr Luebke combines Latin flair with a phlegmatic practicality. She focuses on oral implantology, clinical periodontology and restorative dentistry.
Sealey Brandt photographer launches Beautiful Children of the World
The Finder is pleased to support the launch of Beautiful Children of the World which features a collection of images captured by world-renowned photographer Sealey Brandt, an artistic pillar of the Singapore community for more than a decade. The book was launched last night at Vanilla Home - Palais Renaissance store - with a crowd of over 100 attending the informal and relaxed event. Sealey is a proud and deeply honest individual who has devoted over 6000 hours to create this fine opus of work.
“This book is the culmination of a decade’s work capturing rare, candid moments of children comfortably being themselves,” stated Brandt. “Each and every child I have photographed is beautiful because they are honest, fun, insightful and inspiring. It is this intimate, and truthful feeling of my own childhood that has been captured through my father’s ‘eye’ that I wish to give to other families.”
For many years Brandt’s work has been seen in The Finder Magazine and we wish her every success with this superb publication.
Beautiful Children of the World is available as a hard copy, coffee table-style book at Vanilla Home 390 Orchard Road #01-07 Palais Renaissance. Orders can also be made by emailing sealey@sealeybrandt.com.
Pace yourself! It's all in the planning
Likely it’s tough to argue right now that the past month hasn’t been taxing on your body – both inside and out! So as we hurtle into 2012 and in the interest of good health and wellbeing, about now is a good time to rediscover the benefits of having, say, a healthful daily A.B.C juice, or to consider scheduling one or two mind, body and spirit cleansing treatments. To lead the way, Assistant Editor Jassmin Peter travelled the region to locate Asia’s best detox getaways. She brings you the lowdown of what’s on offer so you can find a look good, feel great path that’s right for you. Perhaps you’re already right on top of scheduling the coming year’s events to ensure business and social objectives are met. It’s all in the planning and certainly you need extreme foresight to get each cog in the wheel moving in the right direction. But there’s one slight challenge – a minor hiccup you might say. The festive season’s not quite over!
It’s out with the old (in this case an elderly Rabbit!) and in with the new and mighty Dragon. Who can resist finding out what their Chinese horoscope holds in store? If you’re looking for some insightful advice, look no further than Singapore Secrets which sets out your life and love horoscope for the year ahead.
The 15-day Chinese New Year celebration, packed with the giving of red packets, raising of chopsticks, the visiting and more, is a treasured time for locals and expatriates alike. Join in the festivities with some of our favourite Wine & Dine suggestions included in this month’s issue of The Finder.
I’ve been physically preparing for my fourth Chinese New Year in Singapore – especially since I noticed the bathroom scales started to move into the uncomfortable zone. I have to admit, I was so inspired by the 65,000 runners in last month’s Standard Chartered marathon, I decided it was time for me, like so many others at this time of year – to strap on those running shoes and get jogging. I’ve been enthusiastic for almost a month now and I can’t explain the overwhelming sense of achievement I feel after my early morning jog each day. Nothing too intense about 45 minutes of focused committed exercise. I figure if I continue to exert the energy with my daily routine, I can continue to eat, drink and enjoy all the ceremony associated with the prosperity toss, known as
lo hei, not to mention the delicious banquet of eastern delicacies to follow. It’s all about balance and moderation so pace yourself if you’re new to the custom. Wishing you the best of health and happiness throughout the year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
lo hei, not to mention the delicious banquet of eastern delicacies to follow. It’s all about balance and moderation so pace yourself if you’re new to the custom. Wishing you the best of health and happiness throughout the year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!