Latest news with #accountant
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Logan Park High School theft handled as 'employment matter' without police
The missing funds were recovered, along with legal and accounting costs. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton A Dunedin high school didn't go to the police after almost $365,000 was misappropriated by a staff member more than five years. An external accountant first discovered Logan Park High School was missing funds last year. The money was taken between 2019-24. The school's board of trustees said it sought legal and accounting advice, and was told it was best treated as an employment matter, as it was one individual acting in isolation. "Our priority was to recover the funds in full and as quickly as possible, while ensuring the matter was handled appropriately," the board said. The missing funds were subsequently fully recovered, along with legal and accounting costs, and a review was conducted. The board said the person was no longer employed by the school and they had made changes to ensure this wouldn't happen again. The high school emailed parents on Thursday to tell them what had happened, acknowledging that might come as a surprise, but the financial risk had been eliminated. The board declined to comment further on the personal details, saying it was an employment matter. The Ministry of Education said it was aware of the matter and would work with the school to better understand the processes they followed. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Mum loses 6st in time for her 40th birthday without fat jabs after piling on the pounds eating family's leftovers
LISA Fillbrook shed six stone in less than a year without any fat jabs after years of piling on the pounds eating her family's leftovers. "I've always loved food – my whole day used to revolve around it," said the accountant from Truro, Cornwall. 5 5 5 She snacked on crisps and cheese in front of the TV, served up huge dinners, and often returned for third helpings of homemade curry. "I loved big portions," Lisa admitted. "I would eat my dinner, then my husband's leftovers, and then whatever our two children didn't eat. "I'd tell myself it was to minimise waste, but I was just out of control." At her heaviest, Lisa tipped the scales at 17st 6lbs and wore a size 18. Years of yo-yo dieting had left her demoralised — from Atkins to Weight Watchers to extreme calorie counting, nothing stuck. "Food was my answer to everything — whether I was happy or sad," she said. "I wasn't a binge or comfort eater, I just loved to eat. "Cooking for my family was my way of looking after them. I'd dish out mega portions and polish off everyone's leftovers." As her 40th birthday approached, Lisa reached a breaking point. In January 2024, she vowed to lose five stone before turning 40 in November. "I had to make a change for good," she said. "I didn't want to feel bloated and insecure on such a milestone birthday." The difference between binge eating and overeating Rather than follow another fad, Lisa adopted a new approach: intuitive eating. This involves listening to her body's natural hunger and fullness signals. Alongside this, so started doing daily five-minute Joe Wicks workouts and 10,000 steps a day. "I didn't restrict myself or count every calorie," she said. "I just stuck to sensible portions and made smart choices." By May, Lisa had shed four stone. She kept up the routine and by her birthday on November 1, she'd not only reached her target — she'd exceeded it, losing a total of six stone. 5 5 She now weighs 11st 6lbs, wears a size 10 and says she feels like a new woman. "I didn't think I would achieve my goal, but I'm so glad I did," she said. "It meant I'd remember my 40th as feeling confident and happy, not insecure and bloated." 'I don't have to restrict myself' Lisa, who lives with her husband Michael and their three children — William, nine, and twins Charlie and Poppy, six — has maintained her weight loss and found new joy in everyday life. "I feel great, not just physically but mentally," she said. "I love getting my steps in and walking with friends. "I've fallen back in love with eating — even though I don't eat anywhere near as much as I used to." She still makes home-cooked meals, but anything left over now gets frozen for another day. "I don't have to restrict myself or have a difficult calorie deficit to be slim," she said. "Intuitive eating and making smart choices are not just more enjoyable but sustainable." She added: "I don't have to buy whatever is in my size, but clothes that I love and make me feel good. "My family are proud, which means the world."
SBS Australia
25-05-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Tax time countdown: Six things you should start doing now
With the end of the financial year approaching, some experts say you should start preparing your tax return. Source: Getty / Natalia Gdovskaia It's never too early to plan, especially for what can be a long and tricky tax return proces. This financial year will finish in over a month, at the end of June, and Australians will have four months to lodge their tax returns — preparing for this early may save you time and money. Masoud Habibian, an accountant and tax agent in Australia, said this may be a "good time to start" to "prepare and review" your tax lodgement. Here are a few tips that may help you in preparing for your tax return: First of all, make sure your information in your myGov account is updated, the account is linked to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and it is working. "Make sure that all the data, like your bank details and personal information, is updated," Habibian said. "Make sure that you have a strong verification [system] in your myGov ... If it is actually working, and it has been linked properly, [and] you've got access to it. "Make sure that you've got a good and secure access to the personal information and documents within myGov." In addition, he advised that if you have forgotten your password, changed your phone number or are facing any other difficulties, it's important to resolve them early, as the process may be significantly more time-consuming during tax time. Preparing all those old receipts as proof for your work-related deductions can also save you time and money on your tax return. According to Habibian, finding and keeping receipts of work-related purchases, like "tools, uniforms, equipment, computer, education expenses, car expenses, donations," etc, are important. "[Gathering] all the receipts and all the documents related to the income and expenses is very important," he said. "A common issue we see is missing receipts or documents, especially for work-related expenses. Make sure that you're storing the receipts digitally." In general, there are two different methods you can use to claim your work from home-related deductions: First, gathering all the information about your expenses for the time you worked from home, and second, providing the total hours you worked remotely to the ATO. Habibian suggests gathering this information as soon as possible. "Sometimes it might be a bit time-consuming to find the detailed record of a daily log of the hours that you worked from home, and also evidence of the expenses like electricity, internet, and phone," he said. "This document actually takes more time to collect and provide to the tax agent." If you own a business and have not yet separated your personal and business expenses, this might be a great time to start, as it may take up a lot of your time. "Separating your personal [expenses] from the business expenses would be highly important," Habibian said. "Most of the people have their personal and business expenses mixed, and it will take a huge amount of time to separate them." Generally, the distinction between personal and business expenses is straightforward. Purchases intended for business use are deductible business expenses, while items bought for personal use are classified as personal expenses. If you have an item that serves both business and personal purposes, like a laptop or a phone, you can only deduct the portion used for business. With only one source of income and a limited number of work-related expenses, the tax return process may not take much time. However, if you have multiple income sources, Habibian said you should start your preparation sooner. "If you have an investment property, you need to gather information," he said. "Make sure that you are focusing on the rental property claims as well ... That would actually be a bit time-consuming. You need to have a chat with your real estate agent. "You need to start from now." The same goes for other investments like cryptocurrencies. "If you have crypto that is in the radar of the ATO, you need to gather information about it ... If you are trading crypto, you must report it even if you have made a loss," he said. Tax time starts on the first of July each year and finishes by the end of October. By mid-July, once employers and banks have submitted more information to the ATO, the prefilled data will be available for your tax lodgement. "Many people rush to lodge on the first of July ... But you should avoid loading these documents too early. "This reduces the errors and avoids later amendments." The information in this article is general in nature and is not intended as financial advice. You should consult with a licenced professional to make the decisions that are right for you.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE jobs: Is it legal to assign employees tasks that differ from their contract?
Question: I was hired as an accountant in Dubai and granted a visa for that position, but later, the company assigned me to a different role, such as HR or administrative work. Is this legal in the UAE and how can I convince my employer that it is illegal? Answer: In the UAE, an employer may not assign another work to an employee which is substantially different from the work agreed in an employment contract. However, an employer may call upon an employee to do another work only in cases of emergency or to rectify the work assigned to an employee. This is in accordance with Article 12 (1) & (2) of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relations, which states, '1. An employee may not be assigned to another work which is substantially different from the work agreed upon in the employment contract, unless such an assignment is necessary or aims to avoid an accident or rectify the consequences thereof, provided that the assignment is temporary as specified by the Executive Regulations of this Decree-Law. 2. An employer may, in cases other than those stated in paragraph (1) above, entrust the employee with a work that is not agreed upon in the employment contract, with the written consent of the employee.' Furthermore, an employee may be temporarily assigned to work that is fundamentally different from their original job — only in exceptional cases such as necessity, accident prevention, or damage repair caused by the employee — under Article 12 of the Employment Law. This assignment cannot exceed 90 days per year. The term 'fundamental difference' refers to work that is entirely unrelated to the employee's profession or academic qualifications. This is under Article 13 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 on the Implementation of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 Regarding the Regulation of Employment Relations, states that, '1. Subject to the provisions of Article (12) of the Decree-Law, an employee may be assigned to alternative work that is fundamentally different in nature from the contractually agreed work, as an exception that is considered necessary, or to prevent an accident, or to repair damage caused by the worker. The maximum limit for assigning the employee to such work shall be (90) ninety days per year. 2. In application of Clause (1) of this Article, 'fundamental difference' shall mean that the work to which the employee is assigned is completely different from the nature of his profession or his academic qualification.' If an employer assigns an employee with work that is fundamentally different from what has been mentioned in an employment contract, and an employee does not agree to it in writing, then an employee shall have the right to resign immediately without serving a notice to an employee. This is in accordance with Article 45(4) of the Employment Law, which states, 'An employee may quit the work without notice and reserve all his entitlements at the end of service if the employer entrusts the employee with a work that is substantially different from the work agreed upon in the employment contract, without the written consent of the employee, except in cases stated in Article 12 hereof." Furthermore, an employer may not force an employee to work against his or her will. This is in accordance with Article 14(1) of the Employment Law. Based on the aforementioned provisions of law, you may review your employment contract and visa designation to ensure that the tasks currently assigned are in line with your designation mentioned in the employment contract. If there is a mismatch, you may communicate this to your employer. If an employer continues to assign work that does not align with an employee's qualifications or professional designation, an employee may file a complaint with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE). Unless an employee has agreed in writing, an employer may not assign a role significantly different from the one originally agreed upon, and the employee may legally refuse to perform such tasks and seek support through MoHRE if necessary.
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Accountant's fraud contributed to redundancy of 125 colleagues
An accountant who defrauded a business out of more than £600,000 contributed to more than 125 of her colleagues losing their jobs, a court has heard. Jolene Groves, 47, may have stolen as much as £1.6 million from a medical devices manufacturer over six years, a judge was told. Such was the scale of her fraud that the company suffered financial difficulty, leading to the closure of one of its sites and mass redundancies. She has now been jailed for four years, with the judge saying her behaviour had a 'considerable impact' on her employer. Winchester Crown Court heard that Groves started working at the manufacturer Nolato Jaycare in 2007. Ten years later, she exploited a 'flaw' in the company's payments system to begin directing funds away from suppliers to her own bank accounts, prosecutors said. She 'covered her tracks' until 2023, when she was caught out by a supplier raising an issue about a payment. A company investigation revealed 84 records of Groves re-routing payments to her own accounts between July 2017 and September 2023, the court heard. The total sum defrauded was £603,272.62 – though the company believes the true amount could be as high as £1,637,473.90. 'Difficult to prove' extent of loss Matthew Lawson, prosecuting, told the court that Groves, who lives in Southampton, was employed as an accountant during her 16 years at the company. Mr Lawson said: 'The defendant was initially employed at the Portsmouth branch from 2017 onwards, however that branch closed in 2020 with the loss of 125 jobs. 'The defendant continued to work for Nolato in a remote capacity, largely working from home.' The prosecutor added that while a finance manager was investigating the financial problem, Groves continued to defraud the company. He said it was 'difficult to prove' the true extent of the money lost and that the company directors were stressed by the threat of prison when finances did not add up. At court, Groves pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. Chris Gaiger, defending, said that her client had multiple sclerosis and suffered from an alcohol addiction that the money funded. He added that there was no evidence she had spent the money on lavish expenses or holidays. Sentencing Groves, Recorder Jodie Mittell said: 'At the very least, your behaviours must have contributed to the financial difficulties that the company had. 'I am told that the company had to close a branch in Portsmouth which resulted in redundancies of 125. I do not find you directly caused that branch to close. 'There must have been some contribution by your financial behaviours.' 'A loss for the city' Speaking in 2020, Simon Bosher, a Portsmouth councillor, said that the site's closure was a 'significant loss' for the city. 'This is extremely disappointing for the local economy – it's going to have a big impact on Drayton and Farlington and the wider Portsmouth community,' he said. 'There's never a good time to lose a job but to lose it either just before Christmas or just after is always going to be tough for people.'
