Your Knowledge September 2026Your Knowledge September 2026

This month’s edition looks at several important tax and superannuation developments with practical implications for individuals, business owners and trustees.

We begin with the High Court’s landmark Bendel decision, which brings greater certainty to the tax treatment of unpaid trust distributions owed to corporate beneficiaries. While the decision provides welcome clarity, there are still other anti-avoidance provisions that need to be kept in mind.

We also look at the ATO’s growing focus on income earned through the sharing economy. With expanded data-matching programs giving the ATO greater visibility over transactions made through online platforms, correctly reporting this income is becoming increasingly important.

From there, we turn to the updated business vehicle thresholds for 2026–27, covering the latest depreciation limits, GST credit caps and Luxury Car Tax thresholds. Understanding these figures can help businesses make more informed decisions when purchasing a vehicle.

And finally, we examine the new restrictions on SMSF borrowing arrangements. These changes are particularly relevant for trustees considering property purchases through limited recourse borrowing arrangements, while transitional rules may provide important relief for certain transactions already underway.