Budget 2020/2021: Proposed Changes for Businesses - Immediate Write-off for depreciable assets

The Government has announced it will introduce the following changes to the existing Instant Asset Write-off concessions.

(a) Businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $5 billion will be able to claim an immediate deduction (what the Budget terms as ‘full expensing’) for the full (uncapped) cost of an eligible depreciable asset, in the year the asset is first used or is installed ready for use, where the following requirements are satisfied:

• The asset was acquired from 7:30pm AEDT on 6 October 2020 (Budget Night)
• The asset was first used or installed ready for use by 30 June 2022
• The asset is a new depreciable asset or is the cost of an improvement to an existing eligible asset, unless the taxpayer qualifies as a small or medium sized business (i.e., for these purposes, a business with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million), in which case the asset can be second-hand.

(b) As is currently legislated, businesses with aggregated annual turnover between $50 million and $500 million can still deduct the cost of eligible second-hand assets costing less than $150,000 that are purchased from 2 April 2019 and first used or installed ready for use between 12 March 2020 and 31 December 2020 under the enhanced instant asset write-off.

The Government has announced that it will extend the period in which such assets must first be used or installed ready for use by 6 months, until 30 June 2021.

(c) Small businesses (i.e., with aggregated annual turnover of less than $10 million) can deduct the balance of their simplified depreciation pool at the end of the income year while full expensing applies (i.e., up to 30 June 2022).

If you need any clarification or have any queries please call us at the office 07 4151 8898. 


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