Federal Budget May 2023: What it might mean for individuals

Overall, the Budget measures are unlikely to have a significant effect from a personal financial advice perspective, and many of the measures have been previously announced.

This summary provides coverage of the key issues of interest.

Highlights

 

Business Owners

• Small Business Support – $20,000 instant asset write-off


• Small Business Support – Small Business Energy Incentive

Superannuation

• Better Targeted Superannuation Concessions

Other

• Fighting Scams

 

Business owners

 

Small Business Support – $20,000 instant asset write-off

The Government will improve cash flow and reduce compliance costs for small businesses by temporarily increasing the instant asset write-off threshold to $20,000, from 1 July 2023 until 30 June 2024.

Small businesses, with aggregated annual turnover of less than $10 million, will be able to immediately deduct the full cost of eligible assets costing less than $20,000 that are first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. The $20,000 threshold will apply on a per asset basis, so small businesses can instantly write off multiple assets.

Small Business Support – Small Business Energy Incentive

The Government will support small and medium businesses to save on energy bills through incentivising the electrification of assets and improvements to energy efficiency.

Small and medium businesses, with aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million, will be able to deduct an additional 20 per cent of the cost of eligible depreciating assets that support electrification and more efficient use of energy. Up to $100,000 of total expenditure will be eligible for the Small Business Energy Incentive, with the maximum bonus deduction being $20,000.

A range of depreciating assets, as well as upgrades to existing assets, will be eligible for the Small Business Energy Incentive. These will include assets that upgrade to more efficient electrical goods such as energy-efficient fridges, assets that support electrification such as heat pumps and electric heating or cooling systems, and demand management assets such as batteries or thermal energy storage. Full details of eligibility criteria will be finalised in consultation with stakeholders.

Eligible assets will need to be first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. Eligible upgrades will also need to be made in this period.

Certain exclusions will apply such as electric vehicles, renewable electricity generation assets, capital works, and assets that are not connected to the electricity grid and use fossil fuels.

Superannuation

 

Better Targeted Superannuation Concessions

As previously announced, the Government will reduce the tax concessions available to individuals with a total superannuation balance exceeding $3 million, from 1 July 2025.

Individuals with a total superannuation balance of less than $3 million will not be affected.

This reform is intended to ensure generous superannuation concessions are better targeted and sustainable. It will bring the headline tax rate to 30 per cent, up from 15 per cent, for earnings corresponding to the proportion of an individual’s total superannuation balance that is greater than $3 million. This rate remains lower than the top marginal tax rate of 45 per cent. Earnings relating to assets below the $3 million threshold will continue to be taxed at 15 per cent or zero per cent if held in a retirement pension account.

Interests in defined benefit schemes will be appropriately valued and will have earnings taxed under this measure in a similar way to other interests. This will ensure commensurate treatment.

The additional tax on earnings imposed by this measure will impact around 80,000 individuals in 2025–26, or approximately 0.5 per cent of individuals with a superannuation account. The measure will not place a limit on the amount of money an individual can hold in superannuation. The current contributions rules continue to apply.

Other

 

Fighting Scams

The Government will provide $86.5 million over four years from 2023–24 to combat scams and online fraud. Funding includes:

• $58.0 million over three years from 2023–24 to establish the National Anti-Scam Centre within the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to improve scam data sharing across government and the private sector and to establish public-private sector Fusion Cells to target specific scam issues


• $17.6 million over four years from 2023–24 (and $4.4 million per year ongoing) for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to identify and take down phishing websites and other websites which promote investment scams, to be cost recovered through levies under ASIC’s industry funding model.

 

This article was produced by Hon. Dr. Jim Chalmers MP from The Federal Treasurer. You can read the full article here.

 

Next Steps

To find out more about how a financial adviser can help, speak to us to get you moving in the right direction.

 

Important information and disclaimer

The information provided in this document is general information only and does not constitute personal advice. It has been prepared without taking into account any of your individual objectives, financial solutions or needs. Before acting on this information you should consider its appropriateness, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. You should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statements and seek personal advice from a qualified financial adviser. From time to time we may send you informative updates and details of the range of services we can provide.

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