seanyg

Hi, I read one person's account of their new life Down Under and they said you have to do your own tax returns...call me thick but does this mean that your wages don't include tax already? ie if I saw a job advertised at $40'000 does this mean i have to pay tax out of it myself? (whereas in the UK the employer pays it so you know it's %x off your wage).

cheers!

Geelong Gent

??

In the UK you still pay your own tax, its just the employer deducts it for you and sends it off to the inland revenue.

UK its called PAYE (pay as you earn)
OZ its called PAYG (pay as you go)

Your tax returns are dead easy - they only become more complicated when you have more complicated financial arrangements.

Check out the ATO website for further info. www.ato.gov.au

Its actually a better system over here but you just have to get yourself familar with all the allowances etc.

seanyg

thanks - i was probably confusing myself i think! never done tax returns before, i hate all that paperwork normally but i guess the aussies have a more straightforward way - less bureaucracy hopefully?!

:-)

Wendy

You can employ a tax accountant to do your returns, cost about $100 and you can claim their fee back on the next years return.

Geelong Gent

If you deal feel the need to get a tax accountant, watch what they complete (keep a copy for your own records) then complete yourself next year. That is of course if it is just a simple employment with a few negative rental properties

Then treat yourself to a $100 night out

Wendy

Yep, that's what I'm going to be doing In fact I'm spending my $70 tonight (that's all it cost me)

midwife-mandy

Oh dear every time i come on this site i realise there is something else I need to sort out, the list is endless. I did not know about tax returns thanks for info though

quoll

Dont worry, you wont have to do a tax return until after 1 July next year and if, like me, you are incredibly lazy and procrastinate a lot, you dont actually have to get it in until 30 October. Many of us just put in the return on line these days with straightforward claims. Not hard, really, just a time consuming bore!

Wol

The ATO online question and answer tax return is miles better than the attempts of the Inland Revenue in the UK. You just download the current version and click through it page by page: at the end you can print out a copy for your records and submit it with a click. If you're due a refund it comes in about ten days.

bcworld

It's certainly not more straightforward - what could be more straightforward than having to do nothing (as in the UK) and letting the Inland Revenue work out how much you have over/under paid.

Having said that if your tax matters are simple then so is your tax return. I do think though that the tax system here has the potential to be extremely complicated but its also a bit of an annual sporting event - working out just how much you can feasibly claim back. The rules are SO complex for some things that you will need an accountant or tax agent.

Do you have a work uniform? Did you wash it in hot or cold water? Honestly, this affects how much tax you pay!!

Wol

>>It's certainly not more straightforward - what could be more straightforward than having to do nothing (as in the UK) and letting the Inland Revenue work out how much you have over/under paid.<<

But you have to enter a tax return in the UK so what's the difference?

bcworld

Never, ever had to complete a tax return in the UK myself. I went to work, I got paid, I paid taxes....if I paid too much or too little IR let me know. Never had cause to involve a 'tax agent' or similar.

arkon

Only higher paid, stangely paid or directors have to complete one back home. Here everyone and their cat has to do one. The majority of working people in the UK don't have to do anything as it's all done for them. For me it was no shock and not hard as I've had to do it for years.

The missus on the other hand..............Got a bit of a shock.

lesleys

And you TRUSTED them to get it right? They overcharged us every single year.

Ozzidoc

I did my first Oz tax return as a 15 year old. They are p*ss easy.