Why are some businesses returning JobKeeper?

Super Retail Group - owner of the Supercheap Auto, Rebel, BCF and Macpac brands - handed back $1.7 million in JobKeeper payments in January after releasing a trading update showing sales growth of 23% to December 2020. Toyota announced that it will return $18 million in JobKeeper payments after a record fourth quarter. And, Domino’s Pizza has also handed back $792,000 of JobKeeper payments.

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The first phase of JobKeeper did not require business to prove that they had actually suffered a downturn in revenue, just have evidence turnover was likely to drop in a particular month or quarter. For many businesses, early trends indicated that the pandemic would have a devastating impact on revenue. Many also took action and prevented the trend entrenching by actioning plans to protect their workforce and revenue. The fact that business improved, does not impact on initial JobKeeper eligibility. In the first phase of JobKeeper, employers were not obliged to stop JobKeeper payments if trendsimproved.

Speaking at the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, ATO Deputy Commissioner Jeremey Hirschhorn stated that the ATO rejected some $180 million in JobKeeper claims pre-issuance. Approximately, $340 million in overpayments have been identified. Of these, $50 million were honest mistakes and will not be clawed back where the payment had been passed on to theemployee.

Where the ATO determines that JobKeeper overpayments need to be repaid, they will contact you and let you know the amount and how the repayment should be made. Administrative penalties generally will not apply unless there is evidence of a deliberate attempt to manipulate the circumstances to gain the payment.

Taxpayers can object to the ATO’s JobKeeper overpayment assessment. If you are contacted by the ATO, please contact us immediately for assistance and we will work with the ATO on your behalf.

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COVID-19 Vaccinations and theWorkplace

The first COVID-19 vaccination in Australia rolled out on 21 February 2021 preceded by a wave of protests. With the rollout, comes a thorny question for employers about individual rights, workplace health and safety, and vaccination enforcement.

Can an employer require an employee to be vaccinated?

For most employers, probably not. The Fair Work Ombudsman, however, states that there are “limited circumstances where an employer may require their employees to be vaccinated.” These are:

• The State or Territory Government enacts a public health order requiring the vaccination of workers (for example, in identified high-risk workplaces or industries).
• An agreement or contract requires it - some employment agreements already require employees to be vaccinated and where these clauses exist, they will need to be reviewed to determine if they also apply to the COVID-19 vaccine.
• A lawful and reasonable direction – employers are able to issue a direction for employees to be vaccinated but whether that direction is lawful and reasonable will be assessed on a case bycase basis. It’s more likely a direction will be “reasonable” where, for example, there is an elevated risk such as border control and quarantine facilities, or where employees have contact with vulnerable people such as those working in health care or aged care.

Can an employer require evidence of vaccination?

In general, an employer can only require evidence of vaccination if they have a lawful and reasonable reason to do so. Requesting access to medical records and storing data of an individual’s medical information will also have privacy implications (see the Office of the Information Commissioner for more details).

Can we require customers to be vaccinated?

Some high risk industries are likely to require customers to be vaccinated or where they cannot be vaccinated, subject to heightened measures such as quarantine and/or testing. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce recently told A Current Affair, “We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say, for international travellers, that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft.” Qantas is expected to release its position middle-to-end 2021 on domestic and international travel.

For employers in high risk industries, it’s important to maintain a conversation with employees and consult an industrial relations specialist if your workplace intends to require vaccinations for employees and/or customers.

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FBT 2021: Tax & Employee Benefits

Fringe benefits tax (FBT) is one of Australia’s most disliked taxes because it’s cumbersome and generates a lot of paperwork. The COVID-19 lockdowns have added another layer of complexity as many work patterns and behaviours changed.

What is exempt from FBT?

Certain benefits are excluded from the FBT rules if they are provided primarily for use in the employee’s employment. These include:

• Portable electronic devices (e.g., laptop, ipad, printers, GPS, etc.,). Larger businesses are limited to the purchase or reimbursement of one portable electronic device for each employee per FBT year;
• A handbag, briefcase or satchel to carry items you are required to use and carry for work, such as laptops, tablets, work papers or diaries. Be warned that if you are using these bags for a mix of personal and work use, then the use needs to be apportioned and will not be fully exempt from FBT. The ATO is not going to pay for your Gucci bag even if you do throw your ipad into it on occasion.
• Tools of trade.

Also, if the item or service provided to the employee is less than $300 and is a one-off, it’s generally classed as a minor benefit and exempt from fringe benefits tax.

COVID-19 & FBT

The ATO has changed how it will approach FBT compliance this year because of the impact of COVID-19 on work patterns and conditions.

Emergency assistance such as flights and accommodation – emergency assistance to provide immediate relief to employees because the employee is at risk of being adversely affected by COVID-19 will generally not be subject to FBT. This might include:

• Expenses incurred relocating an employee, including paying for flights home to Australia.
• Expenses incurred for food and temporary accommodation if an employee cannot travel due to restrictions (domestic, interstate or intrastate).
• Benefits provided that allow an employee to self-isolate or quarantine.
• Transporting or paying for an employee’s transport expenses including car hire and transport to temporary accommodation.

For fly-in fly-out workers, this includes temporary accommodation and meals where they were unable to return home because of border or travel restrictions.

ATO ‘red flags’

One of the easiest ways for the ATO to pick up on problem areas is where there are mismatches in the information provided to the ATO. Common problem areas include:

Entertainment deductions with no corresponding fringe benefit - A simple way for the ATO to pick up on a problem is when an employer claims a deduction for expensive entertainment expenses – meals out, tickets to cricket matches, etc., – but there is not a corresponding recognition of the fringe benefit. Entertainment expenses are generally not deductible and no GST credits can be claimed unless the expenses are subject to FBT.

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The Pandemic Productivity Gap

A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review by Bain & Co suggests that the pandemic has widened the productivity gap between top performing companies and others stating, “Some have remained remarkably productive during the Covid-era, capitalizing on the latest technology to collaborate effectively and efficiently. Most, however, are less productive now than they were 12 months ago. The key difference between the best and the rest is how successful they were at managing the scarce time, talent, and energy of their workforces before Covid-19.”

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* Disclaimer: This newsletter is of a general nature and for general information only. Do not act on this information before getting specific advice. Other factors or individual circumstances may influence the result.

 

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