Australian Tax Returns: It’s That Time Again!

The Australian tax year ended on 30th June, 2009.

With its knowledge of migrant tax matters and the impact of visa status on how income and capital gains are taxed Go Matilda Accounting and Tax is here to help. It is particularly important for temporary visaholders (eg subclass 457, 410, provisional business skills subclasses 160 to 165) who are residing in Australia to be aware that income and capital gains arising from outside Australia are not subject to Australian tax – only Australian source income is taxable.

This is to be contrasted with the generality of Australian taxpayers (Australian citizens and permanent residents) who are resident in Australia, for whom worldwide income and capital gains are assessable in Australia. Go Matilda Accounting and Tax is managed by Alan Collett and Jane Cooper, both of whom are tax qualified in the UK and Australia.

They will be pleased to discuss your situation, how we might help – and to confirm our fees if we are instructed to assist.

Contact Alan Collett on Geelong number 03 5222 6288, or Jane Cooper on Perth number 08 9261 7762.

Source  :  www.gomatilda.com

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Probe into immigration exam cheating

Allegations of cheating by students in immigration exams has seen the launch of a corruption investigation.

Australia’s largest international student service, IDP Australia, is investigating possible corruption among its staff after students in Sydney were caught cheating on exams it conducts for the Department of Immigration, The Sun-Herald newspaper reports.

Copies of the May International English Language Testings System (IELTS) exam were sold for between $12,000 and $18,000, one source claims.

“These have been leaking out for months,” the source told newspaper.

“It’s like a chain of command. It came from the official service who gives it out and takes his cut.

IDP would not confirm how many people had been caught cheating.

“Cheating in IELTS tests is not commonplace,” an IDP Australia spokeswoman said.

“‘However given the high stakes involved, attempts to cheat or engage in other fraudulent activity such as identity fraud do occur.

“Recently in Australia a number of test takers have been detected in their attempt to cheat in the IELTS test. Whether or not it was an internal problem, we don’t know.”

IDP is investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Department has defended its outsourcing of English tests, which have been handled by IDP since 1994.

Source  :  www.ninemsn.com.au

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Australia’s tsunami system performs well

Last night’s tsunami warning for south-eastern Australia, may have come to nothing, but it did demonstrate the worth of the monitoring system, says one expert.

The warning was announced soon after an earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, occurred off the south coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

Chief Meteorologist Dr Chris Ryan, of the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, says the epicentre was located in the closest earthquake source zone to Australia, a region known as the Puysegur seduction zone.

He says, despite being close to Australia, the region is far enough away that a tsunami would take more two hours to reach the coast.

Ryan says the tsunami that followed only warranted a ‘marine threat’ warning with waves rising 30 centimetres at Port Kembla, near Wollongong and no significant damage has been reported.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Seismologist David Jepsen, of Geoscience Australia, says it took two hours for waves from New Zealand to get to Tasmania.

He says the Puysegur seduction zone is a region where Australia’s tectonic plate pushes underneath the Pacific plate.

Although the Australian tsunami warning system is one of the best in the world, the system is still pretty new.

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