Financial Services

THE farm lobby is not considered to be at the vanguard of corporate governance reform, but that has not stopped the WA Farmers Federation taking on wheat marketing company AWB.

In his third article on mergers and acquisitions, Mark Beyer examines the importance of early planning by the key players.

A RESEARCH report released by Morningstar has downgraded Credit Suisse Asset Management Limited’s asset allocation outlook to ‘neutral’.

THE Federal Government has initiated a review of the taxation treatment of certain rights and business expenditures known as ‘black holes’.

AUSTRALIA’S 100 largest private and public companies are about to have their ethical and environmental performance rated.

AT a time when most accountants like to be called business advisers, local firm McKessar Tieleman has bucked the trend.

In the second in a series on mergers and acquisitions, Mark Beyer looks at the type of information business owners need to provide potential buyers.

THE Australian Tax Office has started sending letters to 9,000 firms in the building and construction industry as part of a campaign to stamp out the cash economy.

AUSTRALIANS paid nearly $214 billion in taxes last financial year, with most paid in the form of personal and company income taxes

THE Federal Government has announced measures to improve the so-called Simplified Tax System (STS) and foreshadowed other changes to further improve the tax system.

In the first of a six-part series on mergers and acquisitions, Mark Beyer looks at who can help with buying and selling of businesses, large and small.

A RECENT survey by CPA Australia has highlighted the potential fall-out from the rising cost of professional indemnity (PI) insurance cover for accountants.

ONE sixth of Western Australian farmers are planning to shift some or all of their business from their main bank over the next 12 months, a new study has found.

FARMERS adversely affected by drought conditions will benefit from planned changes to the Farm Management Deposit (FMD) scheme.

THERE are at least eight common law tests that can be used by the courts to decide if a worker is a contractor or an employee, according to law firm Deacons.

Getting the right advice and using it well are essential when dealing with financial institutions, as Mark Beyer reports.

THREE months after WA’s Commissioner of State Revenue announced a payroll tax amnesty in relation to ‘contractor’ payments, the issue is still causing disquiet in the business community.

GOVERNMENT and regulators must act to ensure standards in the financial planning industry are lifted, together with improved disclosure standards, according to the Association of

THE Australian Tax Office has expressed concern about schemes designed to avoid tax by shifting business profits into superannuation.

Our series on business lending this week turns its attention to cash flow lending, or debtor finance as it is also known. Mark Beyer reports.

THE Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA) has launched a ‘compo kit’ to help its members lodge claims for defective administration by the Australian Tax Office.

SHOULD I use a lease or hire purchase? This is one of the most common questions asked of business bankers and finance brokers.

BUSINESSES have been warned to start preparing for new payment and reporting rules for superannuation.

In the third of a six-part series on business lending, Mark Beyer looks at the equipment finance market. THE equipment finance market has witnessed substantial change over the past couple of years, led by the growing popularity of chattel mortgages.

FOR most businesses in WA, banking is conducted through the State’s big five – BankWest and the four national banks, ANZ, Commonwealth, National and Westpac.

AUSTRALIAN businesses are renowned for being unhappy with their banks but not doing much about it.

FIFTY-SEVEN financial institutions currently provide approximately 720 different debt finance products for small business, according to research group Cannex.

THE loan products available to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) have changed substantially over the past few years.

CUTTING prices is often seen as an easy way for businesses to boost their turnover, especially in difficult trading conditions. But it’s a strategy that is fraught with danger.

THE large paperwork and compliance load on small businesses has been highlighted by a new tax office report on its compliance program for 2002-03. The report itemises the volume of paperwork facing Australia’s 2.5 million ‘micro’ businesses;

TWO separate studies released over the past month have highlighted the risk of insolvency among Australian companies. The studies formed markedly different views on the degree of risk, however, leaving investors and business people with an awkward

INVESTORS and business people trying to assess the credit quality of other companies can assess a range of financial and non-financial indicators. John Carello, the reconstruction and advisory services partner at accounting firm PKF, said warning signs