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Macquarie Telecom is looking to acquire small web-hosting businesses along with pumping more cash into its own efforts. The announcement comes after the group announced earlier this week that pre-tax earnings for the full-year will be about $28-29 million, up from the previously forecast $26-28 million. 'We have been looking at acquisitions for the last six to nine months, more in the hosting industry rather than the telecommunications [industry],'' company secretary Michael Simm...
SmartCompany is a completely free news, information and resource site for Australia's entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers to help keep them ahead of their competition. Our writers have many years of experience reporting for the best websites, newspapers and magazines. Contributors include Australia's top entrepreneurs, experts and advisers. Every Monday to Friday, SmartCompany posts a daily news briefing, a round-up of business trend...
Help can come from the most unlikely quarters, and business owners may find that it is the ATO itself that will ease tax debt pain. By TERRY HAYES of Thomson Legal & Regulatory.By Terry Hayes
The supposedly dry world of tax has been at the centre of two of the biggest political bunfights in as many years: the carbon tax and the mining tax. Throw in the controversy over the Government largely ignoring a lengthy review of the system led by former Treasury head Ken Henry and it’s clear bean-counting can be a taxing topic for our political leaders. When the Govern...
Lloyd Ernst had an early start on the web, and has learnt how to achieve growth the hard way. He talks to AMANDA GOME about future web directions and what’s in the pipeline. By Amanda Gome
The ATO recently released a very important ruling - Superannuation Guarantee Ruling SGR 2009/2 - that explains the tax commissioner's view on the meaning of Ordinary Time Earnings and ‘salary or wages' as defined in the superannuation law. It is a lengthy ruling and quite technical, but important for employers to be aware of in meeting ...
Is your super fund underperforming? It could be time to change. Here are 18 tips to help you chose the best superannuation fund in uncertain times. By MICHAEL LAURENCEBy Michael Laurence
Did the great corporate blogging revolution ever happen? It seems only a handful of years ago that, inspired by US automaker General Motor’s FastLane blog, nascent social media pundits (and this writer) were predicting that corporations would open up and begin a two-way dialog with customers. But in the ye...
What a year it’s been in online retail. This time last year the retail industry was up in arms over the “unlevel playing field” supposedly caused by the GST-free import threshold. Now, that argument has been diluted by concerns over wages, penalty rates, and workplace relations. And online sales have continued to climb. According t...
The past 12 months have seen a revolution in the online retailing sector.  Emerging players such as DealsDirect, Catch of the Day and OzSale dominate Australia’s top 10 online retailers and the past year has seen Australia’s big retailers finally start to take online selling seriously. Major department stores Myer and David Jones have ...
The 2008-09 tax season is almost upon us and entrepreneurs can expect to get some extra scrutiny this year. MIKE PRESTON and JAMES THOMSON ask a panel of tax experts for their best tips and the best action you can take now to minimise your tax billBy James Thomson and Mike Preston
It's tough to get money at the moment. The venture capital funds have shut up shop, the sharemarket is shying away from IPOs, the banks have backed away and the angel investors have had their wings clipped.  
Research and development business Permo-Drive was listed for sale this week by administrators PKF Chartered Accountants. Permo-Drive was established in 2000 and has developed an intellectual property that hydraulically captures kinetic energy in heavy vehicles to reduce operating costs. The technology converts energy from braking into kinetic energy that saves on fuel, but it was never commercialised and Permo-Drive has never made a profit. Permo-Drive is a public ...
Welcome to the SmartCompany eBook Library. You can access all the eBooks here and keep an eye out for new titles. Now that you are a SmartCompany member you can join in on the conversation by participating in forums, commenting on articles and networking with other like-minded Australians who want to build bigger better businesses.    
Australians may be able to fund their purchase of Apple's new iPad through a tax break, with the Australian Taxation Office confirming the gadget can be claimed through the Federal Government's Education Tax Refund. The loophole could spark a rush of claims for iPads, with a new study from Boston Consulting Group revealing 23% of Australians plan to purchase an eReader or tablet computer this year, with that number growing to 49% within the next three years. The Australian Taxation...
Mark Zuckerberg must be crazy. After floating Facebook on Friday night US time, the world’s most talked-about chief executive went out and got married to his long-time partner, Priscilla Chan, in what looked like a pretty simple ceremony in the Californian tech haven of Palo Alto. Simple or not, everybody knows that getting married is one of the most stressful things you can do. I’ve never floated a $US104 billion company, but I’d imagine that ranks pr...
It’s estimated that there are around 200,000 loyalty programs operating in Australia, which makes it extremely difficult for a business to stand out from the crowd. But there are ways to ensure your program stacks up against the rest – as long as you’re prepared to put in some hard yards during the set-up phase. There’...
Meet Australia's top female entrepreneurs – they are smart, focused and generate more than $3.6 billion in sales. In a special feature to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, SmartCompany has compiled a comprehensive list of 48 of Australia's best business women (see ...
Businesses with annual revenue of less than $2 million are being urged to take advantage of the Government's increased investment allowance announced in the federal budget.   Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said that the allowance will be extended from 30% to 50% for assets purchased by eligible businesses - but second hand items are out of the question. ...
Free money for growth There are many juicy free money opportunities out there, but before leaping in, business owners need to understand the cost and red tape that comes with the grants process. Here we look at state government grants and examine the costs involved and the obligations you’ll face. SmartCompany’s selection of grants from the state governments Click on the name to link t...
There is only one thing an entrepreneur loves more than closing a big deal or finding about a new tax break – discovering a hot new gadget. With this in mind – and with Christmas just around the corner – SmartCompany has compiled a list of 10 must-have ga By Patrick Stafford
Making contributions to superannuation is a good thing to do. So far, so good. But under the current superannuation regime, people who contribute more than the limits allowed under the law (known as the annual superannuation concessional contributions cap) will face penalties – in the form of what is known as the all-too-technically-sounding superannuation excess concessiona...
The task of trying to select the best super funds is filled with traps for uninformed consumers. Take the potential minefield for anyone who focuses solely on trying to hunt down the best performance or extremely low fees but fails to compare premiums for fund-provided insurance. "The differential between the highest price insura...
The SmartCompany Dun & Bradstreet Industry Growth List for the construction sector reveals a fragmented broader industry that has shown strong growth in favoured parts but revenue that is sensitive to wide ranging influences. By MIKE PRESTON By Mike Preston  
The most suitable structure Choose the structure that will best suit the needs of your business. Your decision will determine how you have to register your business and which laws you have to observe. It is vital that you understand the legal requirements of your business setup and seek legal advice
An almost certain way to become highly depressed is to look at the returns of the big super funds' balanced portfolios over the five years to September. Almost all of the annual returns – even of the top 10 performers – failed to match inflation. The median annual return of the hundreds of funds surveyed by s...
The bill implementing the new temporary investment allowance for businesses, especially SMEs, is now law.   It received Royal Assent on 22 May 2009. There is now some certainty for SMEs about claiming the new allowance - provided of course, they have ...
There is no wriggle room in legislation for late payments of employee super contributions – not even one day’s grace. By TERRY HAYES of Thomson Legal & RegulatoryBy Terry Hayes, of Thomson Legal and Regulatory
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The Government has finally passed paid parental leave legislation providing 18 weeks of pay at the minimum wage, but some business groups are still confused and upset by some of the bill's inclusions. While most say the parental leave scheme is a good initiative overall, many are worried the program will add burdensome paperwork for small businesses and increase regulatory hassles. The problem is that businesses will need to distribute the payments to employees, even though fundi...
Get ready for some big changes to Australia’s workplace laws from July 1, when the Rudd Government’s Fair Work industrial relations regime comes into effect. The...
Free money for growth Government assistance is designed to help companies grow – it will not provide start-up capital, get you through a cashflow crisis or help you pay creditors. In fact in many cases grants are made in the form of a refund or credit for money already spent. There has never been a better time to get your hands on some government assistance. For starters, the slowing economy means business...
There are several key elements affecting the overall economy, and the stability or otherwise of each can be integral to your business’s viability for the year ahead. JAMES THOMSON surveys the likely scenarios. ...
Bevan Slattery and Stephen Baxter started telco infrastructure company PIPE Networks on a limited budget, but have been solidly profitable from day one. AMANDA GOME details the PIPE profit plan.
It's a classic Catch 22 situation - you're desperate to improve your online marketing efforts, but there is precious little money left in this year's marketing budget. Don't despair. Here are 22 things you can do to improve your online marketing right now - and all they will cost you is time.
I’ve already talked about some year end tax planning issues, but it might be worth reminding SMEs of some of the tax deductions they may be able to claim. By TERRY HAYES By Terry Hayes
Getting a government grant can be a great way to accelerate the growth of your business. But while there are some valuable grants around -...
Businesses may claim an iPad in their tax returns as if it were a laptop, but only if the gadget is primarily being used for corporate use and not as a private purchase, the Australian Taxation Office has confirmed. The confirmation comes as a number of businesses, including a restaurant in Sydney and airline giant Jetstar, are beginning to incorporate Apple's latest gadget as part of their work infrastructure. The ATO has confirmed the iPad will be treated as a laptop for tax p...
How to minimise your business tax burden Every business is different, so an exhaustive list of what is tax deductible will vary. The following is a sample of the kinds of expenses that could be deductible – it might get you thinking about what you are claiming concerning your business.
The Gold Coast, Sydney and the Sunshine Coast are Australia’s most unaffordable housing markets, while the Latrobe Valley and Mildura are the most affordable, according to a new survey.The Gold Coast, Sydney and the Sunshine Coast are Australia’s most unaffordable housing markets, while the Latrobe Valley and Mildura are the most affordable, according to a new survey.The research from the Residential Developer’s Council and RPData used data on median house pr...
Making your business Google friendly so it gets picked up by Google’s search engines is “pretty easy actually”, according to Google’s chief technology advocate Michael Jones. Jones was previously chief technologist of Google Maps, Earth, and Local Search, the teams responsible for providing location intelligence an...
Harvey Norman is being walloped by the downturn. But billionaire founder Gerry Harvey still refuses to consider online retailing, dismissing it as a dead-end for businesses. He predicts it will not make any money for entrepreneurs and says he will not be Harvey Norman is being walloped by the downturn. But billionaire founder Gerry Harvey still refuses to consider online retailing, dismissing it as a dead-end for businesses. He predicts it will not make any money for entr...
Here are some tips from our readers on how to save money in business. How to Save Money Tip: When setting up your business system – sales, purchases, servicing whatever it may be – the system needs to efficiently touch each process once and effectively (accidentally) create the accounting records and business records without needing to conduct a different process to comply with accounting and tax requirements. Have a system that works for...
The alienation of personal services income rules (PSI rules) in the tax law can limit tax deductions available to individuals and can also attribute income derived by an interposed entity (eg. a company) back to the taxpayer. Personal services income is ordinary income derived mainly for the personal...
We all want to be doing business with people we trust. This sort of sounds obvious doesn't it? We like doing business, or working with people that we know we can count on. Does it really matter? Do you find yourself trying to get away with a few small things that just make you feel a bit ashamed?RedBalloon is a company of values - as I talked about in my last blog. And the first value is simply to: Do what you say you're going to do - that is to honour your word, to be a...
An Australian SME has won a contract with Microsoft to monitor the software giant’s energy usage, providing information on where the company can save money on emissions and environmental performance. The appointment comes as major businesses start to adopt more green technology within their infrastructure – especially in Australia as the carbon tax nears its introduction. CarbonSystems chief executive David Solsky says the Microsoft deal comes at an exciting time, as...
Nicole Perrin, the wife of bankrupt entrepreneur Matthew Perrin, has emerged as the largest creditor of a company controlled by the former Billabong International chief executive.   Perrin's company Christie Pty Ltd was placed in receivership last week after Perrin filed for bankruptcy.   The company is being wound up a...
The Commonwealth Bank recorded a 42% increase in full-year cash profit to $6.1 billion this morning, and said it remains cautious about prospects for the next year as economic conditions remain uncertain. But the bank, and the financial industry altogether, has been accused of being run by a group of "greedy thieves" by Family First senator Steve Fielding, who says the Government and Opposition should be questioning the size of the banking sector's profit. Commonwealth Bank said i...
I have a lawn mowing franchise and recently bought a second hand work vehicle. I just found out about the 30% tax rebate but can't get a straight answer as to whether I can claim on this. I also want to put the ute on LPG, and since it is for work and I can't claim the $2000 rebate, can I get the 30% rebate on this instead? Dan  
The end of this month marks the end of the FBT year, and time to make sure your business won’t pay any more tax than is necessary. By TERRY HAYES By Terry HayesThe end of this month marks the...