«date» «nameordsht» «address1» «address2» «reference» Hello «casual» URGENT ATTENTION RE: 2012 FRINGE BENEFITS TAX RETURN 1ST APRIL 2011 TO 31ST MARCH 2012 FBT is one of the areas clearly highlighted by ATO as one of its key audit focus area for 2012. Entities that fail to lodge FBT returns accurately and in time may be considered “high-risk” by ATO and are more likely to be audited. This means that the FBT return has to be prepared accurately and on time. You may be liable for Fringe Benefits Tax for the above period. The flow chart below illustrates the action you are required to take in order to comply with your FBT obligation. Do you require us to assess your FBT liability/status? Yes Please complete & sign the “Confirmation Form”, “Car Expense Summary” & “Other Fringe Benefits Summary Checklist”, if applicable, & send them back to us on or before 1 May 2012. No Please sign the attached “Confirmation Form” and mail it back to us on or before 1 May 2012. Once we send you your 2012 FBT Return & option form, please complete the option form and the FBT Return and mail them to us before 21 May 2012. Disclaimer: These notes are intended to be a guide only. Business Intranet Systems Pty. Ltd. (BIS), its directors, employees and consultants expressly disclaim any and all liability to any person, whether a purchaser or not, for the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person relying on a part or the whole of the contents. Do not act on the information without first obtaining specific advice regarding your particular circumstances from a tax professional. © 2012 Business Intranet Systems Pty Ltd. This document is protected by international copyright laws. It is for your internal use only. Unauthorised distribution or reproduction of this information, or any part of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. If you engage us to work out your FBT liability/status, please SIGN AND MAIL the attached “Confirmation Form” and the “Car Expense Summary” to us on or before 1 May 2012 so that we can calculate your FBT liability. Please note that our fees for preparing and lodging a standard FBT return (with two or less benefits) is $XXX.00 plus GST. Fees for preparing FBT returns with more than two benefits will be based on the time spent on the job. CAR FRINGE BENEFITS Car fringe benefit accounts for more than 44% of all FBT revenue collections. Even if your situation is the same as last year, i.e. you are using the same car and the same car’s business percentage, your FBT liability this year may be different due to the period of time the car is owned by the business. In any case, commissioning us to assess your Company’s FBT liability/status can give you peace of mind and ensure that you have taken “reasonable” steps to comply with the FBT legislation. If you do not have all the information as requested in the Information Sheet for using the Operating Costs method to calculate the car fringe benefit, we would recommend that you should opt for the Statutory Formula method. Using the Statutory Formula method may work out to have a higher FBT liability but it will save you an enormous amount of time working out car expenses, whether they are GST-inclusive or GST-exclusive, especially if you are selected for an audit by the ATO. It is particularly effective when your car has a low business use and high annual mileage. Please note that more than 80% of the FBT taxpayers used this method in calculating the car fringe benefit. OTHER FRINGE BENEFITS There are other Fringe Benefits which may have been provided by your business to employees. Please remember that, in the context of FBT, employees also include directors and associates of directors. We have attached a list of “Other Fringe Benefits Summary Checklist”. If you say “Yes” to any of the item listed, please complete the Checklist form and return it to your client manager with the other two forms by fax/mail on or before 1 May 2012. It will be assumed that none of the fringe benefits listed was paid to your employees in 2012 FBT year if the form is not returned to us by 1 May 2012. We understand that FBT is very complex and the calculations are tedious. However, we are here to help you. If you have any problem in completing the attached sheets, do not hesitate to call us and we will be more than happy to assist you. Yours faithfully, (Name of Accounting Firm) Disclaimer: These notes are intended to be a guide only. Business Intranet Systems Pty. Ltd. (BIS), its directors, employees and consultants expressly disclaim any and all liability to any person, whether a purchaser or not, for the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person relying on a part or the whole of the contents. Do not act on the information without first obtaining specific advice regarding your particular circumstances from a tax professional. © 2012 Business Intranet Systems Pty Ltd. This document is protected by international copyright laws. It is for your internal use only. Unauthorised distribution or reproduction of this information, or any part of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. CONFIRMATION FORM To: (Name of Accounting Firm) (Address 1) (Address 2) I confirm that I do/(do not)* have any FBT liability and require/(do not require)* (Name of Accounting Firm) to assess our Fringe Benefit Tax liability/status for the year ending 31st of March 2012. I am aware of the pricing structure for preparing and lodging 2012 FBT return. Signature: _________________________ Name (please print) _________________________ Capacity Director/Trustee/Partner* Name of Employer: (please print) _________________________ Date _________________________ * - delete where inapplicable. Disclaimer: These notes are intended to be a guide only. Business Intranet Systems Pty. Ltd. (BIS), its directors, employees and consultants expressly disclaim any and all liability to any person, whether a purchaser or not, for the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person relying on a part or the whole of the contents. Do not act on the information without first obtaining specific advice regarding your particular circumstances from a tax professional. © 2012 Business Intranet Systems Pty Ltd. This document is protected by international copyright laws. It is for your internal use only. Unauthorised distribution or reproduction of this information, or any part of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. Car Expense Summary (One sheet for each car) 2012 FBT YEAR Name of Employer: ______________________________________ Name of Employee:_______________________________________ Make/Model of Car: _________________Car Registration No: ____________ Name of the car’s registered owner: ___________________________ Base Value of Car: ________________ (GST-inclusive amount, if any) Date of Acquiring the Car: ___________________________________ Opening Odometer reading as at 1 April 2011: _______________ (Km) Closing Odometer reading as at 31 March 2012: ___________ (Km) No. of days the car not available for private use: _____________(days) Car Expenses supported by receipts/invoices - All amounts should be GSTinclusive where GST applicable (The data below is not required if you opt for using the statutory method to calculate the taxable value of the car benefit.) Business Use: _______ (%) – supported by logbook for 12 consecutive weeks. Car Leased/Hire-purchase(HP)/fully owned* If leased, total amount of lease paid per year _________________________ If hire purchase, term of HP _________(months); Monthly amount: __________ Note – if acquired in 2012 FBT year, please enclose a copy of HP agreement. Registration & Insurance _______________ Repairs and servicing _______________ Fuel & Oil (actual/estimated*) * - delete where inappropriate _______________ Other expenses (please specify) _______________ Expenses paid by employees and not reimbursed (with details of such payments and GST paid) _______________ Disclaimer: These notes are intended to be a guide only. Business Intranet Systems Pty. Ltd. (BIS), its directors, employees and consultants expressly disclaim any and all liability to any person, whether a purchaser or not, for the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person relying on a part or the whole of the contents. Do not act on the information without first obtaining specific advice regarding your particular circumstances from a tax professional. © 2012 Business Intranet Systems Pty Ltd. This document is protected by international copyright laws. It is for your internal use only. Unauthorised distribution or reproduction of this information, or any part of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. OTHER FRINGE BENFITS SUMMARY CHECKLIST The following list summarises other fringe benefits which your business may have provided to employees during the year. If you think you have provided any of the following benefits, please tick the appropriate box and fax the form to the attention of your Client Manager. Your Client Manager will then send you the appropriate form for completion. If you are unsure whether or not such a fringe benefit is provided, please discuss with your client manager. From: Fax No.: (Please print the name of the employer) TYPES OF FRINGE BENEFITS Yes Meal Entertainment fringe benefits - If you have paid for food, No drink, recreation, or accommodation expense on behalf of an employee or associate, please contact your client manager who will advise how that expense is to be treated and whether or not the expense is subject to FBT. Expense Payment Fringe Benefit – any expense paid on behalf of the employees or their associates. Loan & Debt Waiver Fringe Benefit – Loan provided to an employee without charging a commercial rate of interest or where an employer waives an employee from the obligation to repay an outstanding debt. Car parking Fringe Benefit – parking provided for an employee where there is a commercial parking station within one kilometre radius of the employer’s car parking facility. Property Fringe Benefit – employee provided with goods and services at a discount from the employer or another firm under an arrangement with the employer. Housing Benefit – arises when an employer gives an employee, including family members, the right to occupy or use a unit of accommodation as the usual place of residence Board Fringe Benefit - arises when an employer provides an employee with accommodation and meals. Airlines transport Fringe Benefit – free or discounted air travel is provided to employees or their associates of an airline or a travel agent Living-away-from-home Allowance Fringe Benefit – where an employee is paid an allowance to cover additional expenses while the employee is living away from their usual place of residence for employment reasons Residual Fringe Benefit – any other benefit not specifically covered above that are provided in respect of an employee’s employment NOTE Road Toll & E Tag Expenses – not a car fringe benefit; purpose of the journey, business or private, determines the deductibility of such expenses. Attention: (Fax No. of Accounting Firm) (Please print the name of your Client Manager) Disclaimer: These notes are intended to be a guide only. Business Intranet Systems Pty. Ltd. (BIS), its directors, employees and consultants expressly disclaim any and all liability to any person, whether a purchaser or not, for the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person relying on a part or the whole of the contents. Do not act on the information without first obtaining specific advice regarding your particular circumstances from a tax professional. © 2012 Business Intranet Systems Pty Ltd. This document is protected by international copyright laws. It is for your internal use only. Unauthorised distribution or reproduction of this information, or any part of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law.