What's New @ Dewings?

The JobKeeper extension period (known as 'JobKeeper 2.0') starts from 28th September, but many first round recipients may no longer be eligible. For those that still qualify, there are new payment rates, which of course means additional compliance requirements. What are the practical implications of all these changes? We're going to try and answer a few of those questions here.

You can read the full version here.

The South Australian State Government has announced that its Land Tax relief measures will be expanded to provide ongoing assistance to landlords who provide rent relief to tenants impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

You can read the full version here.

The Federal Government recently announced an extension to its flagship JobKeeper wage subsidy program. The rules surrounding eligibility for extended support were then relaxed further, which included a shift in the employee eligibility date from 1st March to 1st July.  Because the changes were framed in the context of JobKeeper 2.0, it may have appeared that the new employee eligibility date was only relevant for the extended December 2020 and March 2021 quarters. This is not the case! The new date applies for relevant JobKeeper payments from the fortnight beginning 3rd August 2020. In other words, this may make more employees eligible for current JobKeeper payments. 

You can read the full version here.

Almost certainly a result of the deteriorating situation in Victoria, the Government has thankfully removed the requirement that an employer be able to demonstrate a 30% or more decline in turnover for successive periods (50% for those with turnover greater than $1 billion, 15% for certain eligible charities). 

You can read the full version here.

Many had feared that having met the eligibility criteria for the initial period from April to September, the July review of the JobKeeper program could see existing payments reduced or eliminated under revised eligibility criteria. The Government has, however, kept its promise to maintain JobKeeper in its original form, without reassessment, for the duration of the initial six month period. That is, employers and eligible business participants currently receiving JobKeeper will continue to do so until the end of September, in accordance with the initial rules.

Beyond that, the program will now be extended, with some revisions, at least into the December 2020 and March 2021 quarters. It would be nice to think that it won't be required past then, but it's difficult right now to look that far ahead.

You can read the full version here.