Paying less tax under the Liberals

Well, the tax package the NLP government took to the last election has now been passed by both houses, so will become legislation. My local MP sent me a link to this handy tax relief estimator. My actual taxable income is hard to know in advance, as it will depend on how large my tax deductions (interest paid on my margin loans, costs associated with my Ubereats casual work, and my self-education and business expenses relating to starting up my financial planning business) turn out to be, and how much extra income I get from dividends, and how much (if any) income I earn from my business and casual work. And any capital gains (or losses) made on any shares I sell during a particular financial year...

Based on my raw (before any deductions or other income) annual salary, plus bonus, of around $125,000, my tax bill would drop by only $165 (to $36,217 ie. a reduction of only 0.45% in tax) during 2018-19 to 2021-22 FY. The tax cuts for 2022-23 and 2023-24 would increase to $2,565 (a 7.05% reduction in tax), and (assuming Labor doesn't rescind the latter tax cuts) the final stage from 2024-25 onwards would see the tax on $125,000 of taxable income drop by $4,790 (13.16%).

However, my taxable income is usually a lot less than this raw figure, so the initial tax savings will be proportionately larger in the next couple of years. If my taxable income was $90,000 the initial tax rate changes would save me $1,215 in tax (a reduction in tax paid of 5.3%), which is equivalent to a fairly hefty pay rise.

And then, if my business becomes profitable in a few years time, the latter tax cuts that benefit higher income levels more will be just getting phased in. So, if my taxable income reached $200,000 by 2024-25 the tax saving would be worth $11,640 (a reduction of 17.3% in the amount of tax due).

The prospect of significant reductions in income tax for higher income earners from 2022 (and even more from 2024) means that it will be a good tax strategy to realize any capital losses in the next couple of years, and postpone selling any assets that will realize significant capital gains until the final stage of tax cuts has been implemented. Assuming it all goes ahead as planned...

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