2017 March Newsletter
Autumn has arrived after a flurry of economic data on the home front during February. The company reporting season for the six months to December was extremely positive overall, confirming that corporate Australia is in good shape.
CommSec’s survey of results from the ASX top 200 companies showed 94 per cent recorded a profit in the December half, with total profits up 130 per cent on the previous corresponding period (up 37 per cent excluding BHP). Earnings per share rose 19 per cent, cash levels were up 11 per cent and dividends were up 6 per cent. The strong performance was due to booming home construction and higher commodity prices, especially for iron ore, which is up 80 per cent over the past year to around US$90 a tonne.
One area of concern is the low level of business investment. The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show new spending on buildings and equipment fell 2.1 per cent in the December quarter, down 15.5 per cent over the year. While the Aussie dollar has fallen from record highs during the mining boom, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe told the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics “it would be better if it was lower still” to support the rebalancing of the economy. The dollar is currently trading at around US76c.
Countdown to super deadline
The clock is ticking for investors who want to take advantage of the more generous tax concessions available in super this financial year. As of July 1, new rules come into effect that will reduce contribution limits.
Until then, individuals under 65 can make a non-concessional (after-tax) contribution of up to $540,000 under the bring-forward rule which allows you to bring forward two years’ contributions. That means couples can put up to $1.08 million into super while the opportunity lasts.
From July 1, the cap on non-concessional contributions will reduce from $180,000 a year to $100,000 or $300,000 under the bring forward rule.
But this is only one of the wide-ranging super changes you need to plan for if you want to take full advantage of the existing rules.
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