Rumblings of discontent from leaders of emerging market economies around the middle of last year when it looked as though the US was about to commence tapering quantitative easing. These rumblings are likely to get a whole lot louder this time around though, as the impact of US policy...

The number of web users in China has surged to 618 million, a government agency says, underscoring the rapid growth of online connectivity in the country with the world’s largest internet population. Its online population – defined as those who have used the internet at least once in the...

Term sheets, offer letters, letters of intent, heads of agreement and preliminary agreements by any other name have become a staple part of modern M&A negotiations.  However, recent developments in the law surrounding pre-contractual negotiations highlight the risk that the parties’ conduct during pre-contractual negotiations can override the express...

Australia’s box office gross for 2013 was $965,254,265 (A$1,099,615,801), 2.3% less than 2012 reported Sandy George in Screen Australia today Notably – The top 10 films of the year contributed 27% of this figure, which was unveiled by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA). And- Three of...

Grasslands under pressure – will agriculture pull through? Rising human populations place enormous stress on grasslands and other resources used for agriculture. Land is taken over for housing, roads, growing crops. Do we want to wipe out the natural environment and grasslands simply to feed an over-populated Australia and...

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR.   Year of the Horse. 2014 is the year of the Wood Horse. Unlike the year of the Water Snake in 2013 foretelling diplomacy and planning, the year of the Wood Horse is about decisive actions and fast victories. Be certain of your choice, as once...

SMSF service provider onlinesmsfaudit.com.au has launched an automated cloud-based system aimed at reducing audit times and improving quality. According to new services’ founder, Manoj Abichandani onlinesmsfaudit.com.au will allow registered SMSF auditors to conduct high-level audits in half the time it takes using traditional auditing methods. In turn this will...

Online access to SMSF data is set to increase sharply, with close to 50 per cent of SMSF accountants interested in offering clients and advisers a web-based solution.The “OneVue/Investment Trends 2013 SMSF Accountant Report” revealed currently one in five SMSF accountants offered their clients and advisers the option to...

Tax legislation passed in 2012 ending the classification of superannuation assets as trading stock and in effect treating them as capital items can be advantageous for some SMSF portfolios, according to an SMSF specialist lawyer. “Going forward, no super funds have trading stock and all assets are on capital...

Chartered accounting firm Crowe Horwath is in the process of assessing the viability of greater reliance on automation to communicate with and service its SMSF clients. The initiative is part of the organisation’s effort to better coordinate its SMSF service delivery across the Crowe Horwath network. “We are looking...