A GROWING NUMBER of Australian taxpayers earn income from the gig economy and must include it in their tax return, according to Australia’s leading professional accounting body, CPA Australia.

Senior manager tax policy Elinor Kasapidis said, “Lots of people turned to the gig economy to make ends meet during COVID-19.

“The ATO is aware of these ‘side hustles’ and matches data from platforms like Uber, Airbnb and AirTasker against individuals’ tax returns. This means the jig is up on the gig economy this tax time.”

Gig economy workers often work as independent contractors, but the term broadly includes people who earn income from bartering or sharing as well.

“If you drive people around, do odd jobs or freelance work, rent out your car or storage space, run social media accounts or sell products, you need to declare this income in your tax return," Ms Kasapidis said.

“The good news is that your expenses from earning this income may be deductible.”

Gig workers can claim deductions for most costs incurred in earning their income. Examples can include travel, vehicle, marketing, financing and home-office expenses.

“You can only claim a deduction for the work-related proportion of your use," she said. "Picking up an Uber fare on the way home from visiting mum doesn’t entitle you to write off all your car expenses.”

The ATO is cracking down on the cash economy. The consequences of not declaring cash income from the gig economy may include interest on an individual's tax bill and criminal and administrative penalties.

“It’s legal to receive payments in cash rather than electronically but you must report these amounts in your tax return,” Ms Kasapidis said.

"You don’t need to declare income from activities that are little more than hobbies or not intended to make a profit, but you can’t claim a deduction for them either.

“Don’t worry, the hundred bucks you earned from selling your designer handbag or off-loading your ‘barely used’ bike on eBay doesn’t need to be reported.”

COVID-19 tax issues

Ms Kasapidis said of the Covid-19 changes to earnings, “During lockdowns, some gig economy activities like ridesharing declined, while others such as food delivery skyrocketed. If your deductions are based on a representative period and your usual pattern of work changed due to COVID-19, you may need to prepare an additional record for this period.”

Contractors who received JobKeeper payments or other business grants must record these as business income in their tax return, she said.

"These are assessable and you may need to pay tax on them."

About CPA Australia

CPA Australia is Australia’s professional accounting body and one of the largest in the world. CPA has more than 168,000 members in over 100 countries and regions, supported by 19 offices globally. Core services include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia provides thought leadership on local, national and international issues affecting the accounting profession and public interest, engaging with governments, regulators and industries to advocate policies that stimulate sustainable economic growth and have positive business and public outcomes.  cpaaustralia.com.au

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REAL-TIME software company Vection Technologies Ltd (ASX:VR1) has signed a binding agreement to acquire European technology company and Dell Platinum and OEM partner, JMC Group. 

JMC is a technology company designing, developing, and delivering high-level integrated business technology solutions for Industry 4.0, underpinned by a strong knowledge in virtual reality and augmented reality (XR), internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technology (ICT). 

This acquisition will accelerate Vection's expansion within the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region while further integrating its XR portfolio with IoT, AI and ICT towards a 360-degree product suite for Industry 4.0. JMC's strong growth history is expected to provide a more robust foundation for the combined group as it grows within the EMEA region. 

Gianmarco Biagi, managing director of Vection Technologies, commented that this transaction represented a significant step in the company's vertical growth strategy to assist companies in their digital transformation plans via next generation integrated XR solutions. 

"Vection's executive team is adhering to the stated growth strategy to establish itself as a global technology company with a strong XR foundation, deeply integrated with innovative enabling technologies (including AI) and strong vertical competences.

"Via this acquisition we gain a significant technological and geographical advantage and the addition of key management within the European region, unlocking significant global growth opportunities for the company. We remain focussed on completing our 2021 M&A acquisition strategy via the expansion in the US while progressing on our previously stated commercial objectives." 

In commenting on the acquisition, JMC's founder and CEO, Jacopo Merli, said, "We share Vection's global vision of bringing together next-gen technologies with XR to enable companies to make the leap to the fourth industrial revolution. We are truly excited to pursue this opportunity and to grow the combined business across the EMEA region and abroad in the coming months." 

About Vection Technologies

Vection Technologies Ltd (ASX:VR1) is a multinational software company that focuses on real-time technologies for industrial companies' digital transformation.Through a combination of 3D, VR, AR, IoT and CAD solutions, Vection Technologies helps companies and organisations to innovate, collaborate and create value. http://www.vection.com.au/  https://mindeskvr.com/  https://blankcanvas.studio/

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WAYS to maximise the commercial potential of innovations in science will be discussed at an upcoming public hearing by the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee.  

The committee will speak to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) this Thursday as part of its inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector. Witnesses will appear via videoconference.

Committee Chair, Rick Wilson MP, noted that both organisations are engaged in pioneering research which aims to boost the overall efficiency, sustainability, and profitability of domestic aquaculture enterprises.

"CSIRO research into marine microbes led to the development of a natural supplement which has helped Australian farmers to rear bigger, healthier prawns," Mr Wilson said. "Similarly, ANSTO has used nuclear techniques to maximise seafood growth by identifying optimal feed ingredients and percentages.

"The committee looks forward to discussing these and other emerging scientific innovations, as well as their potential commercial applications in the expansion of the aquaculture sector," Mr Wilson said.

For further information, please visit the inquiry website.

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THIRTEEN waterfront workers have been forced into 14-day mandatory quarantine following a COVID safety breach at the Port of Darwin involving a container ship that arrived from Singapore on Thursday.

Workers at the Linx terminal at East Arm Wharf who boarded the Tacoma Trader to unload containers have been forced into quarantine, with Northern Territory police collecting six from the wharf, along with an additional seven who worked the previous night shift. All have been transported to the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

The Tacoma Trader had been allowed to dock well inside the 14 day quarantine period after NT Health boarded the vessel to undertake health checks of the foreign crew, which involved temperature checks and a declaration from the ship’s master that there was no illness onboard.

Once NT health cleared the vessel of any COVID cases, waterfront workers were permitted to board the vessel to commence unloading the cargo.

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has been campaigning for foreign crew to be tested for COVID prior to Australian workers boarding vessels, but NT and Federal Governments refuse to implement that common sense approach to keep waterfront workers and the community safe.

MUA assistant national secretary Adrian Evans said health authorities had forced workers into quarantine, with workers told by police that it was because of an administrative failure by the vessel’s agent in declaring the number of days since its last port of Singapore, which is not a declared hotspot. This failure was out of the workers’ hands.

"This has been an extremely traumatic experience for our members, who were marched off the wharf by police and bussed straight into quarantine, including some who needed to get home to care for their children,” Mr Evans said.

“The Tacoma Trader, like most vessels arriving in Darwin, had not been at sea for 14 days, leaving waterfront workers dependent on government health checks of the ship’s crew to keep them safe. 

“Those biosecurity measures have clearly broken down, resulting in extreme hardship for nearly half the workforce at the Linx terminal who were simply doing their job, but are now stuck in quarantine.

“Given there are no COVID cases onboard the Tacoma Trader, we question why workers are in lock-up? This is clearly a bureaucratic overreaction.

“Dragging people out of their workplace and locking them up without a valid reason is clearly unacceptable. No one should go to work, then be forcibly detained in Howard Springs for two weeks.

“To make matters worse, these workers have been denied a change of clothes and are still in the same work gear they’ve had on since 6am yesterday.

“Our members worked all through the height of the pandemic, they have faced the risk of COVID infection to keep the economy going, and now they find themselves being locked up just for doing their jobs.

“We demand the immediate release of our members and a commitment from the NT Government that this will not happen again.”

The Tacoma Trader has now been diverted to Port Hedland, which will significantly impact delivery of cargo into the Territory. The union also warned that the quarantining of a large part of the workforce will impact the ability to load and unload other vessels at the Port of Darwin.

Mr Evans said the incident highlighted the union’s repeated warnings that Australia’s COVID biosecurity measures — which vary between states and territories — are fundamentally flawed.

“The MUA has written to National Cabinet on a number of occasions, highlighting flaws in Australia’s biosecurity measures, and urging an immediate overhaul to create a nationally-consistent regime for addressing the very real threat of COVID arriving on international commercial vessels,” Mr Evans said.

“This issue is particularly important for the NT, because the territory’s close proximity to Asia means most vessels are arriving less than 14 days after departing foreign ports.

“What we need is the rapid testing of all seafarers arriving in Australian ports, ensuring COVID outbreaks onboard are immediately identified, appropriate health support is provided, and Australian workers are protected from the risk of infection.

“This case highlights the precariousness of the current system, and the very real risk of COVID entering the Australian community through maritime supply chains.

“There is no question that this COVID safety breach is a failure of government; it shows the current approach isn’t working and highlights the urgent need for a nationally consistent approach to address the issue.”

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