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Uncategorised

Work Expenses You Didn’t Know You Could Claim

July 29, 2016 By admin@akturatech.com

When claiming work expenses in your tax return, whether by yourself or through your accountant, we often struggle with determining what we can claim. We have devised a list of work related expenses you can claim on your tax return this year, some may even surprise you!

1. Clothes and Make Up

If you have ever completed your tax return this is generally the first area you go to claim your expenses. Whether it be for laundry, protective steel cap boots or your uniform you’d be hard bent to find a person who didn’t jump at the opportunity to claim back on this expense. What some people don’t know is that you may also be able to claim your new hand bag/suitcase (if you can prove it carries more than just your lunch!).

2. Electricity

For those of you that work from home the chance to claim back on electricity may seem too good to be true. By keeping a log book of your work hours you can claim 45c per hour which, if you work an average 40 hour week, can lead to a deduction of more than $900 off your next tax return.

3. Car Use

Although you can’t claim travel to and from work (as much as we’d all like to!) you can claim travel to see clients, and to work sites. The ATO will be very strict when checking this deduction this year so make sure you have kept a log book and it is up-to-date.

4. Mobile Phone

Walk past any cafe and I can almost guarantee you’ll find someone suited up typing on their phone with a serious expression on their face. Now whether they are conversing with their boss, crunching numbers, or just on a really hard level of candy crush we may never know. One thing we do know is that you can claim a percentage of mobile usage as a work expense. The ATO will be cracking down on this so don’t claim 100% of your phone usages as a tax write off.

5. Office Equipment

Buy a new standing desk this last financial year? Why not claim it? You can claim office equipment, such as desks, stationary, ink, and antivirus software.

6. Income Protection Insurance

If you pay your Income Protection Insurance separate to your Super Fund you can claim this as a tax expense. If you Super Fund and Insurance is together, you cannot.

7. Self-education expenses

Work in a cafe and had to take a barista course? Were you required to undergo a first aid training course? Any education expenses which are required by your employee or are designed to improve your skills set for work can be claimed.

All these expenses can be claimed on your tax return, provided that you have proof of purchases for expenses under $300. Although there is the magic $300 claimable without receipts, the expenses still must be work related, regardless of whether you provide receipts or not.

To help you keep track of your expenses the ATO has developed an app where you can record your expenses, track trip kilometres and store photos of your receipts. This can then be uploaded straight to your online tax return or can be sent to your accountant. This is perfect for people always on the go, click here to learn more.

Claiming deductions just go easier with the ATO my deductions app.

Not sure what you can and can’t claim? Contact us and we will be happy to help you out.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

End of Financial Year Tips for Small Businesses

June 29, 2015 By admin@akturatech.com

InTheBlack’s Paul Drum has outlined, what we believe to be, an insightful list of tax tips for small business. These have been summarised below, or you can take a look at the article in detail here:

Check eligibility for small business tax regime

Small business entity’s (SBEs) are individuals, partnerships, companies, and trusts that have an annual turnover (excluding GST) of less than $2 million. While meeting the $2 million turnover test automatically entitles SBEs to choose certain concession it is important to note that additional eligibility tests apply to some claims, like the small-business CGT concession.

Maximise depreciation deductions

SBEs will get an immediate tax deduction for almost all purchased individual assets costing under $20,000, purchased from 7:30pm AEST on 12 May 2015 to the given that it is used for an income producing purpose.

For business assets first used, or installed and ready to use prior to 12 May 2015, an immediate deduction can be claimed if the cost of the asset was less than $1,000.

For businesses registered for GST, the $20,000 threshold is calculated on a GST-exclusive basis, but for businesses not registered for GST, the threshold is calculated on a GST-inclusive basis.

A depreciating asset that is not immediately deductible (an asset costing $20,000 or more from 7.30pm on 12 May 2015 or an asset costing $1,000 or more prior to that time) will be automatically depreciated at a flat rate of 15 per cent in the year it was bought to the extent the asset is used for income-producing purposes, and is used or installed ready for use by 30 June 2015.

Take advantages of the tax rate cut for small business from 1 July 2015

A number of tax planning opportunities have opened up with the reduction of company tax to 28.5 percent, and the proposed introduction of a five percent small business tax discount on income tax payable on business income received from an unincorporated entity that meets the SBE test, capped to $1,000 per individual.

In particular, eligible businesses can bring forward expenses into this financial year, and delay revenue into the next financial year.

Seeking professional advice when starting a business

The government has proposed that professional expenses situated with starting a new business be fully deducted in the year they occurred as of 1 July 2015. If a new business and possible, we advise you hold off from seeking professional advice until after the end of financial year.

Review salary sacrifice arrangements

Employees can consider salary sacrifice arrangements under which their gross salary may be foregone to obtain either a packaged car for fringe benefits tax (FBT) purposes,  or they can make additional superannuation contributions.

Make trust resolutions by 30 June

Trustees of discretionary trusts are required to make and document resolutions on how trust income should be distributed to beneficiaries for 2014/15 by 30 June at the latest.

If not executed by 30 June, any default beneficiaries under the deed will become entitled to trust income and subject to tax, or the trustee will be assessed at the highest marginal tax rate on any taxable income derived by the trust.

A trustee must be able to show how an effective resolution was made through draft minutes, file notes or an exchange of correspondence documented before year end.

Stream trust capital gains and franked distributions

Trustees of discretionary trusts can stream capital gains and franked dividends to different beneficiaries of the trust deed allows the trustee to make a beneficiary “specifically entitled” to those amounts. This must be documented before 30 June.

Private company loans

Income tax law can potentially treat a payment or loan by a private company to a shareholder or associate, or the forgiveness of a shareholder’s or associate’s debt, as an unfranked seemed dividend unless an exemption applies.

The most common exemption is to enter into a written loan agreement requiring minimum interest and principal repayments over a specified loan term.

Private companies can do various thing before 2014/15 tax returns need to be lodged, including repaying loans, declaring a dividend or entering a complying loan agreement before the return needs to be lodged.

Prevent deemed dividends in respect of unpaid trust distributions

Any unpaid distribution owed by a trust to a related private company beneficiary that arises on or after 1 July 2014 will be treated as a loan by the company, if controlled by the same family group. The associated trust may be taken to have derived a deemed dividend for the amount of the unpaid trust distribution in 2014/15. This may, however, ne prevented by paying out any unpaid distribution, or a complying loan agreement entered into before 2014/15 tax return is due for lodgement.

Write-off bad debts

Income tax deduction for bad debts can be obtained by businesses when various conditions are met;

  • The debt still exists at the time it is written off
  • Debt is effectively irrecoverable
  • It is written off in the accounts as bad in the year the deduction is claimed
  • Must have been previously brought to account as assessable income or lent in the ordinary course of carrying on a money-lending business
  • Certain additional requirements must be met if creditor is either company or trust

Super guarantee

Employers are required to contribute 9.5 percent of employees’ salary to the super fund of their choice under the superannuation guarantee. Tax deductions for personal contributions can be made if you’re substantially self-employed.

SMSFs and employer contributions

From 1 July 2014, employers with 29 or more employees are required to pay superannuation contributions electronically. For further information what is required for this, take a look at one of our blogs.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

FAQs (and myths) about the $20,000 write-off

June 24, 2015 By admin@akturatech.com

There has been a bit of confusion surrounding the newly announced immediate asset write-off for assets costing less than $20,000 for small businesses, since the release of this year’s federal budget.

The following blog, by Taxpayers Australia, we found, laid to rest many of the frequently asked questions that arose from this announcement. These included:

  • How does the deduction work?
  • What constitutes a ‘small business’?
  • Is the $20,000 threshold inclusive or exclusive of GST?
  • When can I claim a deduction?
  • How do the rules work with vehicle trade-ins?
  • What happens if the asset is used for both business and private use?
  • Can a deduction be claimed for second hand assets?; and
  • What are the consequences if the law is not enacted?
If this sounds like something you’ve been wondering about or you are a small business take a look at this post. Alternatively, if reading is not your thing, we highly recommend the following Taxpayers Australia podcast to give you a clearer picture as to what this write-off entitles.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

The Basics of Inventory Management

June 19, 2015 By admin@akturatech.com

Every company wants to grow, and with growth comes the need to assess and reassess core foundations.  The following basic inventory management tools slot into 4 categories.

 

1. Systems and Organisation
Systems are the key to growth.  Whether your organisation needs it today or you are looking to grow in the near future, developing systems to support robust inventory management is essential.

 

Choosing the right space when stock first arrives is the first step to a streamlined inventory management system. Pallet racking, for instance is one way of maximising warehouse capacity, with varying degrees of sophisticated racking and stacking equipment available, should growth demand it.

 

As an easy starting point, mark out on the floor the direction in which inventory, once receipted, will flow. For example, purchase some bright masking tape and fix lengths to the floor, ensuring each stage of a product’s journey (inwards area, un-packaging spaces, manufacturing benches, etc.) in the warehouse is organised. From a health and safety perspective, it will allow for a much better work environment in the long run, including reducing wasted resources on re-organisation and damaged goods opportunities.

 

Eliminating tardiness in your operations and managing similar aspects such as efficiency across your supply network is another important principle to implement. The care, in which your company takes in recording and storing finished goods, is a barometer of the overall health of your company, as it has a flow-on effect in terms of: shrinkage, waste reduction (aim for a ‘Lean’ work environment), and the cost of extra warehousing.

 

Unseen obsolescence costs and unnecessary additional expenses, such as write-downs have often led to an untimely end for many businesses. It is imperative; therefore, to keep accurate records of all inwards and outwards receipts, for instance, if good inventory tracking is to be achieved.

 

2. Documentation
Stock loss or what is typically known as ‘shrinkage’ has been a major contributor to some ‘once great’ companies failing.

 

Keeping a reign on this is imperative, and therefore, eliminating documentation errors throughout your inventory management system is key.

 

There are a number of ways shrinkage can happen; through physical theft, cyber and IT failure, receipting the wrong item or receipting too many of a cheaper line, receipting too little of a more expensive SKU, or entering incorrect buy, or cost prices when receipted, for instance.
Keeping track of the right barcode is critical in keeping stock errors to a minimum. Internal misadjustments, such as errors recorded during stocktakes, highlight the need for the adoption of technology in this area.

 

3. Planning
Be organised and document everything. When establishing early stage systems and processes, care should be taken in regards to how the following stock-keeping unit details are noted in your inventory management software:

 

  • correct catalogue numbers
  • bar code details
  • source of origin
  • associated spare part data
  • shipping and physical storage location details

 

Sophisticated software is not necessary at this stage; however, smart early stage companies visualize expansion and implement technology to cater for this.

 

Good inventory management involves considering the long term effects of stock housing and organisation. A simple diagram of what goes where in a store room will help with this: Visualising and thinking ahead can prove very beneficial to future growth strategies. Managing workflow from the outset, therefore, is paramount to successful inventory management.

 

4. Communication
Recent software developments have meant that smaller companies are now able to disseminate information more easily to those closest to them and make adjustments to head off disruptions. Timely reports are effective in projecting improvement milestones and gauging efficiency as it pertains to inventory management.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

Tips on Processing Payroll this End of Financial Year

June 4, 2015 By admin@akturatech.com

The following email was sent from Xero’s Payroll team this week and we think it’s important for all Xero users to go over the following steps they outlined:

The end of the financial year is always a busy time but with the tips below you can take action now to streamline your payroll for the end of the financial year.

To start off, set up auto super before the cut off. You can do this by clicking this link and following the instructions, or, alternatively, contact us.

If you are already using auto super and need to pay super contributions by 30 June we suggest that batches are submitted no later than 1pm Monday 22 June to make sure they reach the super funds in time.

If you have not yet done so, now is a good time to do reconciling. For those who have Xero, this is simple and easy. To reconcile Payroll in Xero, you need to:

      • Generate a Payroll Activity Summary Report
      • Then reconcile it with your General Ledger transactions

The total earning, total superannuation and total tax amounts need to match. If they don’t, it’s time to make amends. Here are a list of common problems and how to resolve them:

Problem: Payroll is higher than what’s showing in the General Ledger.
That could mean: A draft bill hasn’t been created for all your pay runs.
Solution: You first have to identify any pay runs that need a draft bill, and then create them.

Problem: The General Ledger is higher than what is showing in Payroll.
That could mean: Multiple draft bills have been created, other transactions have been coded to the payroll account, or payments have been reconciled to the wages expense account rather than the wages payable account.
Solution: Delete or void an invoice or credit note. Or, edit the spend money transactions.

Here at Rush and Associates we pride ourselves in being able to provide you with the best possible service to benefit you and your business. If your Payroll and General Ledger do not match, or you have any other queries or issues, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can assist you. Ensuring that your End of Financial Year is as smooth and stress free as possible, is a top priority for us.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

SuperStream Changes

May 27, 2015 By admin@akturatech.com

As the 2014/15 financial year comes to a close businesses need to start paying attention to the government’s latest regime, SuperStream.  SuperStream is a government reform aimed at improving the efficiency of the superannuation system for Australian businesses. It provides a simplified process to digitally make employee super payments and at the same time report those payments to the relevant employee superannuation funds.

The following is a video from the ATO explaining SuperStream the new data and payment standard for superannuation:

From 1 July 2014 businesses that employ 20 or more employees were supposed to have started making contributions using SuperStream. However, they had twelve months reprieve to ensure it would be setup and functioning by 1 July 2015.

From 1 July 2015 businesses employing 19 or fewer employees will be required to start making contributions using SuperStream. They too will have a twelve month reprieve period to ensure they put the necessary systems in place to be compliant by 1 July 2016.

What do you need to do to make sure you are SuperStream compliant? You could:

Upgrade to a software solution that is SuperStream compliant;
Use a commercial clearing house;
Approach a service provider who can take care of your SuperStream compliance for you; or
Outsource your payroll and SuperStream processing to a third party.
In a recent ATO webinar they outlined that essentially businesses will need to move to an electronic form of record keeping for payroll purposes to ensure compliance with SuperStream.

If you’re looking to upgrade your software our recommendation would be to upgrade to Xero, the world’s leading online accounting software. Xero is a simple but powerful online accounting software package that can help manage your business but also help you to be SuperStream compliant.

The following is a video of how easy it is to get up and running and be SuperStream compliant with Xero:

Paying Superannuation (Australia) from Xero Limited on Vimeo.

Once you find a solution and system to be SuperStream compliant you will need to obtain the following information for all of your employee’s super funds:

  • All Funds:
    • Fund’s ABN
    • Employee tax file number (TFN)
  • APRA-regulated Funds Only:
    • Unique Superannuation Identified (USI)
  • SMSF’s:
    • Bank account details
    • Electronic service address

Once you have this information you can then update your software with that information or provide it to a service provider.

If you need help to assist you become SuperStream compliant please contact us on (07)3839 8869.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

The 2015-16 Federal Budget

May 15, 2015 By admin@akturatech.com

Small businesses received some key changes from the 2015/16 Federal Budget to deliver lower taxes and hopefully cultivate growth.  The following are some of those key changes to small businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $2 million:

TAX CUTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The following tax cuts will be available to small businesses in the 2015/16 year:
  • 1.5% Tax Rate Cut for Small Companies: Company tax rates will be reduced from 30% to 28.5% for small companies. Companies over $2 million will be subject to the current 30% rate. The current maximum franking credit rate will remain unchanged at 30% for all companies.
  • 5% Discount on Tax Payable by Small Unincorporated Entities: Individual taxpayers with business income from a small unincorporated business entity (such as trusts or partnerships) that has an aggregated annual turnover of less that $2 million will be eligible for the small business tax discount.  This discount will be capped at $1,000 per individual for each income year, and delivered as a tax offset.

ACCELERATED DEPRECIATION FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Small businesses that purchase and install assets from 12 May 2015 that are under $20,000 will be able to claim an immediate deduction for that asset.  This accelerated depreciation will be available up until 30 June 2017.

In addition the current ‘lock out’ laws have also been suspended for the simplified depreciation rules until 30 June 2017.

Where assets purchased are $20,000 or more they will be depreciated at 15% the first year and then 30% each income year after that.

IMMEDIATE DEDUCTION FOR PROFESSIONAL EXPENSES

Businesses will now be allowed to claim an immediate deduction for a range of professional expenses to start a new business.

CGT ROLL-OVER RELIEF FOR RESTRUCTURING

Small businesses will now be able to change legal structure and not attract CGT on the transition.  This will begin in the 2016/17 year.

FBT CHANGED FOR WORK-RELATED DEVICES

A FBT exemption will be allowed from 1 April 2016 for small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $2 million that provide employees with more than one qualifying work-related portable electronic device.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

New Penalties for Self-Managed Super Funds

June 6, 2014 By admin@akturatech.com

The 1st of July 2014 will mark the commencement of a new regime of penalties for Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs). The information below aims to provide clarity for you in the organisation of your SMSF, so that you can be prepared for the future.

The new law initiates administrative directions and penalties for contravention in reference to SMSFs including:

  • Rectification directions
  • Education directions
  • Administrative penalties

The ATO has the ability to issue not just one, but two or more, of the above options and can issue a notice of non-compliance if SMSFs do not act in accordance with directives.

Funds that no longer meet the requirements of an SMSF may still be subject to directions and/or penalties, regardless to the fact that the new penalty regime applies only to SMSFs.

This new law voids any condition in the SMSF’s Trust Deed/Governing Rules that would have the effect of excusing a trustee of the SMSF from or indemnifying a trustee/director against:

  • Liability for the cost of undertaking a course of education in compliance with an education directive.
  • Liability for an administrative penalty imposed by the new administrative penalty regime.

The new SMSF Penalty Regime does not replace the current powers that the ATO has to take action against trustee(s), but provides an alternative. Providing a middle ground of the current option, for the ATO when dealing with a fund that contravened SIS, is one of the main reasons for the introduction of SMSF Penalty Regime.

ATO has developed a range of options to deal with breaches of the superannuation law, including:

  • Giving a fund a notice of non-compliance to make the fund a non-complying superannuation fund
  • Accept an undertaking from the trustee to rectify the contravention
  • Disqualifying individual trustees and prohibiting them from acting as a trustee of a superannuation fund or as a responsible officer of a corporate trustee of a superannuation fund
  • Suspend or remove the trustee
  • Freeze the assets of the fund if there is a risk of the member’s benefits being eroded
  • Seek civil and/or criminal penalties through courts

The ATO will continue to have these options available for SMSFs that contravene SIS, however, the new SMSF Penalty Regime will provide a more efficient way for the ATO to deal with SMSFs that have SIS breaches.

Credit to ‘New Penalty Regime for SMSFs’ by Mark Ellem of SuperMate.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

The 2014-15 Federal Budget

May 23, 2014 By admin@akturatech.com

With the release of the government’s budget we have reviewed the Thomson Reuters Tax News detailed analysis and from that summarised some key points.
PERSONAL TAXATION
FBT Rate Increase
FBT rate will increase from 47% to 49% from 1st April 2015 to 31 March 2017 to prevent high income earners from utilising fringe benefits to avoid the levy.
Personal Tax Rates
The legislated tax-free threshold of $18,201 will increase to $19,401 from 1st July 2015 to 30th June 2017. If including Medicare Levy the top marginal rate would be 49% from 1st July 2015 to 30th June 2017. There was, however, strong opposition from the Greens and labour making it highly unlikely to pass through parliament by 30th June 2014. The Low Income Tax Offset of July 1st 2015 is $300.
Medicare Levy
The Medicare Levy will increase from 1.5% to 2% as of 1st July 2014. As of income year 2013-14 the Medicare Levy for low-income families will increase to $34,367 and each dependent child or student will also be increased to $3156. Private health insurance income thresholds will be frozen for 3 years, form 1st July 2015.

Family Tax Benefits Part B
FTB-B primary earner income limit will be reduced from $150,000p.a to $100,000p.a as of 1st July 2015. FTB-B will be limited to families whose youngest child is under the age of 6 at 1st July 2015. As a part of transition arrangements, families with a child 6 years or over, on 30th June 2015, will remain eligible for FTB-B for 2 years.

Dependant Offsets
Nearly all dependant tax offsets, including the dependent spouse tax offset, will be abolished for all tax payers at 1st July 2014.

Mature Age Worker Offset
The Mature Aged Worker Offset will be abolished 1st July 2014 and will be replaced with an expanded senior employment incentive payment called ‘Restart’. As of July 1st 2014 a payment of up to $10,000 will be available for employers who hire mature aged job seekers, 50 and over, who have been receiving income support for at least 6 months.

SME Instant Asset Write-Off
Due to mining tax not being repealed there is confusion as to whether the $6,500 write-off still stands, and that’s despite the Government’s intention to scale it back to $1,000 as of January 1st 2014. We are still awaiting clarification on this matter from the government but if it doesn’t come soon it may be too late to take advantage of this generous write-off.

SUPERANNUATION

Option to Withdraw Excess Contributions
Excess contributions and associated earnings will be allowed to be drawn for any excess non-concessional contributions made after 1st July 2013. If individuals choose this option, no excess contributions tax will be payable and any related earnings will be taxed at the individual’s marginal tax rate. If, however, the excess non-concessional contributions are left in their superannuation fund they will continue to be taxed on these at top marginal tax rate.

Non-concessional contributions in excess of a person’s cap are currently taxed 46.5% (47% as of 1st July 2014): s5 Superannuation (Excess Non-Concessional Contributions Tax) Act 2007. The liability for this tax is currently levied on the individual who must5 withdraw an amount form their superannuation fund equal to the tax liability by providing the release authority to their superannuation provider within 21 days.

Superannuation Guarantee Rate
Instead of pausing Superannuation Guarantee Rates the Government will be increasing it to 9.5% on 1st July 2014 and leave it at this level until 30 June 2017.

Military Superannuation
The new arrangements will allow Australian Defence Force (ADF) members to choose which super fund they belong to and give those members the ability to transfer their accumulated benefits to a new fund if they leave the ADF. There will be no change to superannuation arrangements for Military Super Benefits Scheme’s members, but they may elect to be covered by the new arrangements.

WELFARE AND PENSION MEASURES

Age Pension to Increase to 70 by 2035
From 1st July, 20205, the Age Pension qualifying age will increase by 6 months every 2 years, from 67 years, to gradually reach a qualifying age of 70 years by July 1st 2035. There is much opposition from The Greens and Clive Palmer surrounding the increase in qualifying age making it ‘tricky’ to negotiate the measure through the senate.

Participation Incentives for Job Seekers Under 30
From 1st January 2015, all new claims of Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance (other) who are under 30 years of age must demonstrate appropriate job search and participation in employment services support for 6 months before receiving payments. Existing recipients under the age of 30 will also become subject to these new arrangements as of 1st July 2015.

OTHER MEASURES

Fuel Excise to Rise
Starting August 1st 2014 biannual indexation by the CPI of excise and excise equivalent customs duty for all fuels, except aviation fuels, will be re-introduced.

HECS and HELP Measures
Income threshold for repayment of Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) debts commencing 2016-17 will be reduced and will just indexation for HELP debts from 1 June 16. HELP debts will be adjusted from the Consumer Price Index to a rate equivalent to the yields on 10 year bonds issued by the Australian Government , capped at 6%, starting June 1st 2016.

SUMMARY
The Government’s argument for drastic cost cutting policies is to tighten the countries excessive spending but in doing so it has caused derision from the general public, numerous lobby groups and even State Governments. The Government may argue that this is the massive medicinal budget the nation needs to fix the ailing economy but it is going to have a hard time making everyone swallow that pill.

How much of the above razor budget changes will see the light of day will depend on the Government getting its budget passed through the senate. However with the current composition in the senate the Government will no doubt be engaged in some long drawn out negotiations with numerous stakeholders to get what they want.
With the budget presented we all now know what the Government wants to achieve and how they plan to do it but for now we just have to wait for the senate to determine how big this budget pill will be for us to swallow.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

Rundown: Capitalising on the Cloud

April 11, 2014 By admin@akturatech.com

Recently I attended a seminar held by Proactive Accountants Network entitled ‘Capitalising on the Cloud’. The seminar had five aims:
1. Dispel the myths – what cloud is and why you need to embrace it
2. If you’re new to cloud – get you started and ‘un-confuse’ you
3. If you’re ‘into’ it – take you to the next level
4. Challenge, disturb and inspire you!
5. Introduce you to tools, systems, process and support to help you implement and capitalise.

The seminar reaffirmed our views on the cloud but also challenged us on ways to utilise it. Technology is pushing new boundaries for the local accountant. Traditionally our industry has relied on physical records, heavy data, and physical technology within the office, however, the cloud has introduced the use of light data allowing us to become global accountants. To prove how much technology will affect the way the world and business will interact the video below was shown at the seminar to highlight a project developed by IBM called ‘Watson’, a super computer that can think like a human.

As you can see the rapid development of technology will affect the way we all do business, there are powerful cloud tools that are readily available for us to harness.

But is your data safe in the cloud? The answer is yes! The cloud has very high data security levels, the same as those used by your bank. If you trust internet banking you can trust the cloud.

We use the cloud everyday checking emails, online banking, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the list goes on and on. The cloud is innovative, safe and effective. It has proven that utilising the strengths of the cloud has the potential to help grow and develop your business locally and if necessary globally. The safety procedures and systems implemented in the cloud are just another reassurance that it is the future of accounting and business in general. The digital business revolution of the cloud is already here, when will you capitalise on the cloud?

By utilising cloud services in our firm it has greatly improved the systems and procedures in our office. If you are looking to move your business to the cloud and start using cloud based software such as Xero, do not hesitate to contact us to help you get there.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

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