The tax laws have been substantially tightened over the past 20 years, with the scope to make decisions and create transactions after the year has ended all but gone.

Instead, tax minimisation and planning is an ongoing exercise with key milestone moments being in the lead up to significant transactions AND in the lead up to the end of the tax and financial year.

Transactions that warrant due consideration to ensure the most tax effective outcome is reached include –

• Buying a business
• Selling a business
• Entry of a business partner
• Exit of a business partner
• Significant asset acquisition
• New finance or debt facility
• Significant employee changes (ie. Senior recruitment and/or departure of a long-term team member)
• Material uplift in business performance
• Material downshift in business performance

Then we meet with the majority of our business clients, and many of our investor clients, during late May and early June each year to review the performance of their business and investment activities for the year, to estimate their likely taxable incomes and then to ensure actions are taken, and strategies put in place before 30 June to ensure the absolute legal minimum tax liability.

The pay off (as in reduced tax payable) from proactive tax minimisation and planning can be dramatic, sometimes in relation to a single event, but often in accumulation over time. It can mean the difference between just doing well, and truly getting ahead!

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