Tariff impacts on consumer prices so far: Chart of the Day
Yahoo Finance host Julie Hyman joins Asking for a Trend with Josh Lipton on today's Chart of the Day to explain how tariffs have impacted specific consumer price categories so far, despite overall inflation showing signs of cooling.
To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here.
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Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Common tax mistake costing Aussies $1,000 on ATO refund: 'Out of pocket'
The biggest mistakes Australians make "every single year" on their tax returns have been revealed. Tax time is just weeks away, and Aussies are being warned these easy mistakes could cost them hundreds on their refund. Tax Invest Accounting director Belinda Raso told Yahoo Finance she sees taxpayers getting caught out by these mistakes every year. This could be because they have rushed their tax return and done it as soon as July 1 hits, or simply because they don't have all the information at hand. 'A big one is that we automatically go for a shortcut and a shortcut is never in taxpayers' favour,' she said. RELATED Major ATO change just weeks away as taxpayers warned over new rules Centrelink cash boost coming from July 1 for millions of Aussies Aussie teen's job paying $300 per hour without a uni degree Here are the top five mistakes to watch out for. If you are claiming work from home deductions, most Aussies forget to work out both methods to ensure they get the biggest possible deduction. The fixed rate method lets you claim 70 cents for each hour worked from home. The actual cost method requires you to calculate the additional expenses you incur when working from home. It is more onerous, but could give you a better deduction. Raso said people who claimed the fixed rate method often forgot they could make separate claims for expenses the method doesn't cover. The method only covers internet, mobile, electricity, gas, stationery and printing costs. 'So all of your computer equipment, the hardware, the software, your cords, cables, extensions, powerboards, your furniture, everything in that home office is going to be claimable,' she said. 'People that are working from home, even if they are hybrid, are losing hundreds of dollars per year on this alone.' Taxpayers report to the ATO whether they are liable for the Medicare Levy Surcharge. The ATO will also change people's tax returns if they are liable and don't declare it. For the 2024-25 financial year, the threshold to pay the surcharge is $97,001 for singles and $194,001 for families. Raso said she sees mistakes with people saying they are liable for the surcharge, when they actually aren't. This is usually single parent households who think they are classified as singles, but are actually classified as families even if their child isn't living with them. 'The average person could end up paying an extra $1,000 by not actually understanding these rules,' Raso said. Taxpayers can amend their returns if they have made a mistake and they have up to two years less one day from the notice of assessment. The third biggest mistake is made by Aussies who get a reimbursement or allowance from their work. This is particularly for people who have a motor vehicle kilometre allowance. While you can't claim a deduction on reimbursements, your employer might call it a reimbursement when it is technically an allowance. 'A reimbursement when you give an employer a receipt for fuel and they pay that in full. But if they are paying you a kilometre allowance, even if they say it's a reimbursement, it's not, it's just to cover your kilometres,' Raso said. 'If that kilometres is seen on your income statement, you're paying tax on it, so then you should be claiming the deduction against it because otherwise you're going to be claiming tax and just be out of pocket. You can claim what you have actually spent. Other common examples include mobile phone allowances and laundry allowances. Another mistake is not claiming expenses that people use for both work and personal purposes, such as a laptop or computer. Raso said some people mistakenly thought they couldn't claim a tax deduction at all, when in reality, they can apportion the personal use. 'We apportion what percentage we use for personal use and what's work use, and we claim that,' she said. For example, you can state you use a laptop 60 per cent of the time for work and 40 per cent of the time for personal purposes. The final common mistake is not keeping a correct logbook if you use your car for work. If you are travelling over 5,000 kilometres for work, Raso said you should be keeping a logbook. The ATO has two ways to claim deductions for motor vehicle expenses: the logbook method and the cents per kilometre method. The cents per kilometre method allows you to claim up to 5,000 business kilometres per car, per year. The logbook method allows you to claim more than 5,000 kilometres. 'You need to have a valid logbook for 12 weeks straight, which covers all of your motor vehicle usage. Then you need to have all your running costs as well,' Raso said. This needs to be done in the financial year you are claiming, so if you haven't already started on your logbook it would be too late to do in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
$13,296 blow for EV drivers as major incentive could soon be scrapped: 'Would not buy'
Generous tax subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs) could soon be phased out as the federal government tries to rein in spending. EV drivers have been able to save thousands of dollars thanks to Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemptions and other incentives. Sydney resident Tom Gao told Yahoo Finance these tax breaks were the main reason he jumped on the EV bandwagon when he bought his first Tesla. Productivity Commissioner chairwoman Danielle Wood has indicated it could be on the chopping block to make way for cheaper initiatives. 'We have a whole range of policies at both federal and state level to try and reduce carbon emissions,' she said on the ABC's 7.30 programme. Tesla driver backs $13,000 cash boost for EV drivers as popular rebate under fire ATO, Centrelink warning over $100 million Powerball lottery win Aussie teen's job paying $300 per hour without a uni degree 'Each of those has sort of an implicit cost per tonne of abatement. Some of those we've said in the past are pretty high, things like fringe benefit tax subsidies for EVs.' The tax break was introduced by Anthony Albanese in 2022 and was designed to boost the number of EVs on Aussie roads. That has definitely been achieved. According to the Australian Automobile Association, there were 6,752 battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) sold in the first quarter of 2022. Fast-forward to the first quarter of 2024, there were 25,552 sold. BEV sales have dropped off since then as plug-in hybrids became more popular due to being the best of both worlds between a battery and internal combustion engine (ICE).You can deduct the cost of an electric vehicle if: The EV was worth less than $91,387 The car was bought with a novated lease A novated lease allows an employee to buy a new or used car and have their employer cover the cost of lease repayments to an agreed financial supplier. The employer makes the repayments to the leasing company out of the employee's pre-tax salary in a salary sacrifice arrangement, which reduces the employee's taxable income. For example, if a worker secured a $68,000 EV through a novated lease through their company, they could save around $13,296 thanks to the exemption. As many as 100,000 people have taken up the tax break so far, according to the National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association. "I would not be buying an EV if FBT exemption is removed," Goa told Yahoo Finance, who feared there would be a "significant drop in EV purchases" if it was scrapped. "If you look at uptake of EVs in countries like Norway, it's completely driven by government incentives," the Sydney driver said. "That's the case across the world." The government ended the FBT exemption for plug-in hybrids at the end of March this year. The Productivity Commission is currently reviewing the tax break ahead of a government summit in August. It's set to release a report on its findings before that meeting in a few months. Treasury had forecast the FBT exemption policy would only cost taxpayers $55 million in the 2024-25 financial year. But figures from the Institute of Public Accountants found it cost closer to $560 million per year. The Commission estimated in 2023 that the policy cost between $987 to $20,084 per tonne of carbon abatement. This means the government is spending that much money for every tonne of carbon emissions it has helped prevent. That reportedly makes it the most expensive climate policy on the government's balance sheet by a long shot. For comparison, the next most expensive policy at a federal level is the discounted excise for E10 petrol, which is $128 to 274 per tonne of carbon abatement, according to the Australian Financial Review. While Gao has enjoyed the benefits of the policy, even he admitted it was an "outrageously" generous handout and bordered on being "extremely fair" for ICE drivers. While the FBT exemption for EV drivers might get scrapped, the Commission could suggest allocating the money towards broader emissions reductions strategies. This could include expanding the carbon emissions cap to additional sectors like road transport and electricity. During the 2025 election campaign, Peter Dutton said the Coalition would axe the exemption if his party won. The promise sparked major concerns in the EV community, with Electric Vehicle Council CEO Julie Delvecchio saying she was "extremely disappointed and confused". 'The electric car discount has been helping thousands of workers finally afford to buy an electric vehicle. When Australians make the switch to an EV, they stand to save up to $3,000 per year on fuel and maintenance costs, but the biggest roadblock is the upfront cost," she said. "The FBT exemption has been helping to lower that barrier. "The Australians who're set to lose out most are those in outer suburbs, who have embraced the electric car discount in droves. "People living in the outer suburbs and regional communities — who typically drive longer distances — are finally able to access the savings that EVs offer, thanks to this discount." She said the exemption had been "highly effective" at getting more EVs on the road and getting rid of it could "stall progress toward cleaner, cheaper-to-run transport".
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Consumer sentiment, Regeneron meeting, Apple WWDC: What to Watch
Market Domination Overtime hosts Julie Hyman and Josh Lipton preview the top market stories and headlines Wall Street will be paying attention to tomorrow, Friday, June 13, including June's preliminary consumer sentiment reading, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' (REGN) annual shareholder meeting, and the closing day of Apple's (AAPL) 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime here.
