Budget Traveller’s Guide to Sleeping in Airports – Website

For travellers who are REALLY on a budget and are looking for a way to skim a few bucks off their travel expenses, why not consider sleeping in an airport? 

Why spend money on a night in the airport hotel when an inflatable raft on the airport floor is free? Sure, it may sound a little cheap and degrading at first, but read-on and you’ll soon discover a travel community, that for 13 years has been sharing their airport sleeping experiences and travel advice with fellow airport sleepers around the world. Airport sleeping is no longer just for the poor young backpacker. Nowadays, you’ll find travellers of all ages and income brackets stretched out on airport floors around the world.

So now, sit back….get out your travel itinerary and read the latest airport reviews.  You are about to discover which airports you can sleep in safely and comfortably and those which you should avoid altogether on your next trip.  Your friends and family may look at you funny when you return with your airport stories, but as you’ll read here and on our blog, that’s only part of the adventure.  

Whether you sleep in an airport overnight by choice or get stuck in the airport due to an airline problem or weather delay, let sleepinginairports.net help you make your stay more tolerable.  Together with a hearty dose of your sense of adventure, unnecessary airport hotels are about to become a travel expense of your past!

Visit  :  www.sleepinginairports.net

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How to avoid an end of financial year tax headache

• Last-minute tips to save on tax
• What to claim, how to file
• Plenty of help on ATO website

HAPPY New Year! Well, almost. With only 24 hours left until the end of financial year, what should you be doing today to ensure that you don’t end up with a big tax hangover tomorrow?

“Don’t forget to pay your expenses,” says Tracey Nicholson, the Assistant Commissioner of Taxation.

“Ensuring that expenses are paid and claimed in the correct tax year can save a lot of headaches in having tax returns amended down the track.”

Ms Nicholson suggests that some top-priority things for taxpayers to do prior to lodging their return include:

• Go surfing! The ATO website, that is.

“There is a wealth of information on the ATO website, both general as well as information that’s specific to various professions,” says Ms Nicholson. “It’s a great place to start your research on what you may be able to claim as a deduction.”

• Spring clean the house to find your receipts.

“At the end of the day you need to keep your receipts to substantiate your claims,” says Ms Nicholson.

• Lodge online.

If you are DIYing your tax, Ms Nicholson recommends the online e-tax process as a great way to complete your return.

“It’s free, and has a great step-by-step process that will help remind you of anything that you have forgotten,” she says.

It can be worth getting professional advice as well though. Bill Keays, founding director of WA-based Hales Keays Chartered Accountants says that in his experience there are a number of tax-related benefits that people sometimes overlook.

“Motor vehicle expenses are often overlooked,” he says.

“You can claim up to 5000 kilometres of work-related use based on a reasonable estimate of business kilometers, without needing to keep a log book. But some people think that if they haven’t kept a log book, they can’t claim.”

Another forgotten area, according to Mr Keays, is depreciation on a rental property.

“Sometimes clients are not aware of how much depreciation they can claim,” he says.

“For taxpayers who have a relatively modern rental property, engage a quantity surveyor to prepare a depreciation report. They will typically save you many times more than their fee due to the deductions they identify.”

But lest you get carried away with all the potential deductions out there, remember that you do need the paperwork to back it up.

“We conduct plenty of audits,”says Ms Nicholson.

“We’re going to have a special focus on truck drivers, sales and marketing managers, sales reps and electricians this year – but any taxpayer has the chance of being audited.”

And while it may be too late for this financial year, consider getting some professional advice for next year’s tax return because sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.

“There’s usually always some way in which we can save clients extra money, either by identifying deductions or simply getting their tax structures right to start with,” says Mr Keays.

“The Small Business CGT concessions are a great example.

“One of my clients was expecting to pay capital gains tax of approximately $240,000 when he disposed of his business and he ended up paying nothing by applying these concessions.”

Your tax time checklist                                                                                                                                                                                           

To help you get the best tax return possible, here’s a few things to tick off your “to do” list today:

1. Are you eligible for the Superannuation Co-contribution? If so, it’s up to $1,500 of free money.

2. If you use your car for work, don’t forget to estimate your motor vehicle expenses.

3. A 20% tax offset is available for out of pocket medical expenses over $1500.

4. Donations of over $2 made to a deductible gift recipient are tax deductible.

5. The cost of having your tax return prepared is also an allowable deduction.

6. Income Protection insurance premiums can also be a tax deduction.

7. Small business owners who are selling business assets can take advantage of extremely generous “small business CGT concessions.”

8. You can claim up to $300 of work related expenses without the need to have written receipts. However once your claim exceeds $300 you must have receipts for the full amount.

9. Don’t forget all those miscellaneous work expenses such as union fees, seminars, trade journals, software and home office expenses. Even an appointment diary can be deductible.

10. Check the deductions fact sheet for your specific occupation to ensure that you are claiming everything that you are entitled to.

Source  :   www.news.com.au

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Whales Wallowing in Western Australia

The coast of Western Australia is getting busy: the whale watching season is underway and early sightings suggest that not only has the season started early, but there are more whales than there’ve been in decades. Commercial whaling in Western Australia finished up in 1963 with just 500 humpback whales left in the waters, but estimates now put the number of whales that will swim the 8,000 miles from Antarctica to the north of the state at around 17,000. Good work, whales!

Whale watching trips run all up and down the coast and from the capital Perth, too – grab a two-hour trip from Hillarys Boat Harbour for A$62 ($50), or head south to Albany for three-hour cruises that let you come on board again in the unlikely event of no whales showing up.

The only thing that seems to be growing faster than the whale population is the population of whale-watchers. Tourism peeps in West Oz say tourist numbers are growing by 15% every year so you need to hurry to avoid the crowds.

Source  :   www.jaunted.com

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Hike in Visa Application Charges from Next Month

Intending visa applicants should move quickly if they wish to avoid the significant increases in Australian Visa Application Charges that come into effect on the 1st of July, 2009.

The Federal Budget was handed down last month, and included in the various Budget papers is reference to increases of 20% in VACs applicable to visas granted under the skilled migration program and the family program.

For example, the main VAC for general skilled visas is presently A$2,105. Intending skilled migrants can therefore anticipate a saving of more than $400 if they can submit a valid visa application before the end of this month (June 2009).

Cost savings of a similar sum are likely to be available to applicants for Spouse visas, Remaining Relative visas, and Business Skills visas.

It should also be noted that the requirements for the lodgment of valid visa applications are generally limited to the submission of the relevant visa application form, payment of the Visa Application Charge, and any other DIAC form as is applicable to the visa that is being applied for – plus a skills assessment classification letter where one is applying for an offshore general skilled visa.

In other words, other documentation in support of the application can be submitted later – and (we suggest) should be if a saving of more than A$400 is available.

If you are intending to move to Australia and would like to lodge your visa application quickly in an effort to save money please contact us. Go Matilda has many years of experience assisting with Australian visa applications, and can prepare application paperwork quickly in an effort to lodge a valid application so that you lock into this year’s Visa Application Charges.

Source  :  www.gomatilda.com 

Author:

Alan Collett

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Australia stocks close at seven-month high

The Australian share market closed at its highest level in nearly seven months as better-than-expected local and overseas economic data heartened investors and boosted resources stocks.

At the 1615 AEST close, the benchmark SP/ASX200 index had lifted 60.9 points, or 1.56 per cent, to 3955.3, while the broader All Ordinaries index advanced 61.7 points, or 1.59 per cent, to 3949.6 points.

The last time the local market had closed at those levels was in mid-November 2008.

The local bourse rose as a narrowing current account deficit and improving trade position raised expectations that the Australian economy had managed to avoid a contraction in the March quarter.

Building approvals rose for the third consecutive month as low interest rates and grants from the federal government enticed home buyers.

Resources stocks have been lifted by data released by China on Monday showing that China’s manufacturing activity had expanded in May for the third consecutive month.

In the US overnight, better-than-expected readings on manufacturing, consumer spending and construction spending boosted Wall Street.

The Reserve Bank of Australia, which kept interest rates unchanged on Tuesday, also said there was evidence the global

economy was stabilising and the turnaround was clearest in China.                                                                                                                            

City Index markets strategist Alex Douglas said the positive data releases over the last few days were driving the market.

‘If we go back to yesterday, there was positive data from China.

‘That was backed up with some manufacturing data in the States overnight which was slightly firmer than anticipated,’ Mr Douglas said.

Locally, the building approvals figures were also positive.

‘So little bits of evidence like that of growth emerging – that’s helping to support the markets,’ Mr Douglas said.

In the resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton gained 96 cents to $36.70.

Rio Tinto jumped $2.67 to $69.00 after the company announced it had settled terms of iron ore contracts with many Asian customers.

Oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum rose 88 cents to $44.90 as it said it planned to retain at least 50 per cent equity in the second and third stages of its Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) development at Karratha in Western Australia.

Santos firmed five cents to $14.90.

Among the major banks, Commonwealth Bank strengthened 17 cents to $36.33, Westpac surrendered 18 cents to $18.76, ANZ gave away 21 cents to $15.98, and National Australia Bank gained 28 cents to $22.80.

Investment bank Macquarie Group was up 91 cents at $36.30 as it said it was not aware of any reason or information not already announced that could have prompted a lift in its share price since late last week.

On Wall Street overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index rose 221.11, or 2.6 per cent, to 8,721.44.

In the gold sector, Lihir slipped one cent to $3.30, Newmont lost 24 cents to $6.00, and Newcrest picked up 15 cents to $33.89.

The price of gold in Sydney at 1628 AEST was $US973.85 per fine ounce, down $US10.25 on Monday’s close of $US984.10.

Telco Telstra was off two cents at $3.07, and Optus-owner Singapore Telecommunications shed six cents to $2.50.

Retailer Woolworths ascended 60 cents to $26.00, and Wesfarmers, which owns Coles, was $1.09 heavier at $23.37.

In the media sector, News Corp was 25 cents richer at $14.68, and its non-voting stock improved 20 cents to $12.75.

Consolidated Media lifted three cents to $2.38, and Fairfax gained six cents to $1.26.

Among other stocks, automotive brakes supplier Pacifica Group was steady at 13.5 cents after it said the bankruptcy of car-making giant General Motors Corp in the United States was likely to hurt Pacifica’s earnings in 2009.

The top-traded stock by volume was property developer GPT group, with 74.74 million shares worth $36.4 million changing hands.

GPT was 1.5 cents lower at 48 cents.

Preliminary national turnover was 2.43 billion shares worth $5.85 billion, with 657 stocks up, 412 down and 324 unchanged.

Source www.bigpondnews.com

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