Changes in super (a few years back) have created so much work for employers and, they have increased the risk of non compliance, something that can bring large fines if the infringements are bad enough.

You see, business owners, large and small are the only link in the entire super chain that is unpaid for their efforts and, to make this even more complex, is simply adding to the decent felt by most who foot the increasing bills for this unpaid work.

As an example, it is possible for a business with say five staff, to have to pay super into five different funds and, this can also be changed, at will, by the employee, again, without one single cent being provided to the employer.

Now it's not the fault of the employee, as they are simply becoming increasingly aware of the benefits/risks of all the funds at their disposal, but few have any idea what is involved when they change funds.

The simple solution in my view would be for the government to establish a national super trust fund, where every cent of employer paid super is paid to, then employees can instruct their chosen funds to draw down from this fund.

How simple would that be.

At least this would be one burden removed from small business owners, most of whom are battling through what is the worst conditions I have seen in twenty plus years.

they allways talk aboput having a basket of investments
subsidisation of the money marketeers products..or bying options..aint working

plus the bonus scemes..its a way for govt to bailout big business..
by allowing the bosses to take your pay,..not their trust fund bonus

its a ponzie sceme..frontrunning is cheating
at least we got proceeds of crime seizure options
and oprivate for proffit prisons..with work camps..they should do well

retirement tip
in the end times people will be eating money
so suggest printing the notes on edible paper..not plastic..

but of course its chewey..
just ad some vegimite/or peanut paste..
or slice and dice it like noodles..[cooking it ..in stone soup is recomended..its ready when you can eat the rock..

yea we got all our eggs in the money markets..
when we need to own food supply

OUG have you had super paid on your behalf?
Are you aware industry super, the one indeed that stopped the payment of fees.
Lets you pick how it is invested.
Do you understand prior to that employers chose often saw rewards including over seas trips for putting the workers funds in to that scheme, often a badly performing one.
Do you OUG KNOW SOME OF THOSE schemes charge the whole balance, or near it,to get your funds out if early?
How many do not understand this is why many, take advantage of the right to pick your own scheme.
In this matter I am, in my view an expert.
It took up one third of my work life giving advice to workers on this complex issue.
I BEG! those with more than one scheme! PLEASE take an interest.
You are seeing money go FOREVER NEEDLESSLY.
And please! just take the time now to avoid regrets later, SOME schemes constantly under perform.
Some STILL charge too much.
I will not hang around this thread, only came to try to help those who want it.
Superannuation has been great to thousands, it bought my home and feeds me.
It is of eminence benefit to our country , in time we need never borrow funds over seas,as superannuation fills our country's investment coffers.
See you in another thread

Tell me more about the burdens on small business. I want to know more!

More!

We're the backbone of the country, and we're battling. We're battling battlers!

Just how much time does it take to transfer money to a different bank account?

Agreed, it's pretty trivial, Houellebecq.

>>Just how much time does it take to transfer money to a different bank account?<<

Especially when compared to the work needed to help the taxman collect his GST.

Or indeed payroll tax across different States, each with different rules. That's the one that sh1ts me most...

Houellebecq, that comment just goes to show how little you actually know.

First, you often have to hound the new worker to CORRECTLY fill out their forms. Not easy in butcher land, I can tell you.

Then, the paper work has to be checked and lodged, if it's correct, great, if it's not, it's yet more unpaid work.

Along with the bank deposit, you also have to fill in the contribution form.

And, at the end of the year you have to reconcile and hope you havnt made an error somewhere along the way as you can't issue group certs until your system has been reconciled.

All of the above being performed at our expense and, if we dare make an error we risk being finned.

I welcome you to find another unpaid job that comes with the threat of a fine if you get it wrong.

What like your tax return?

Seriously butcher I don't know how you didn't top yourself after all these years of infinite impositions and injustices, thwarting you at every turn in your noble and self-sacrificing attempts to run a business.

They're killing us! They're killing small business! It's a nightmare out there! A jungle! Oh the humanity!

It's one trial and tribulation after another isn't it. Of course you had to do it as you wanted to help the country and be the backbone of society, there was nothing in it for you, you just had to soldier on, filling out forms and wasting all that ink, and paying people their rightful entitlements.

Maybe they should have some support groups for put-upon business owners, where they can sit and watch videos of happier times where there was no health and safety, no food hygiene standards and slave labour was allowed, you know, when those scum workers appreciated all the sacrifices you made to avoid income tax.

Who would have though that to run a business you might have to invest in some accounting software, or pay an accountant. The government should provide all that! Always with the hand out...

Houellebecq, having been in business for almost a quarter of a century, I can tell you it was a great way of life. WAS.

Unfortunately those days have passed.

Now, how did you go with finding that unpaid worker, still searching are we.

And remember, much f this unpaid work is performed on Sundays, or after working a normal day.

So in reality it means we miss out on all the penalty rates and loading that the workers, the ones we do this for, would not dream of doing for nothing.

I await your findings.

You are making a bit of a meal of this, rehctub.

Your description of what you are obliged to do is in error.

>>First, you often have to hound the new worker to CORRECTLY fill out their forms. Not easy in butcher land, I can tell you.<<

No you don't.

You are obliged to give the new employee a Standard Choice form (NAT 13080) within 28 days of their start date. You are not required to chase them up, let alone "hound" them. If they don't give it back to you properly completed, you simply put their money into a qualifying Fund of your own choice. Easy.

http://www.ato.gov.au/businesses/content.aspx?menuid=0&doc=/content/25193.htm&page=78&H78

When/if they do finally give you the form, you simply start paying into that Fund instead - you are not required to do anything more than that. And for heaven's sake, splash out for a computer - all Funds allow direct deposits, you can register the employee online which takes five minutes, and from then on it's a minute a month/quarter, maximum, per employee. The Fund keeps the records and does all the reconciliation for you.

Life is tough enough without making it unnecessarily more difficult for yourself.

This has been a Public Service announcement in support of small business.

P..I am always happy to be corrected, I was not aware of these changes.

I have recently engaged a contractor, looks like he will have to now go cause it's simply not worth the hassle.

What a shame.

P, may I suggest you look this section up at the bottom of the link you provided.

What if you haven't met your super obligations

Just confirms the risks we take as deployers and unpaid tax/super collectors.

Tell me, why should we face these risks, considering we don't get paid in the first place.

In reality, super should be paid to the employee, and it is they who should be forced to place it in the fund of their choice, or risk being fined.

Don't you think?

After all, we are paying for it, surely they can deal with it.

That's not too much to ask is it?

P, sorry to harp on this, but an even simpler option would be for employers to combine super, with our PAGY contributions, and let the government deal with the employees super component.

After all said and done, it (occupational super) was the governments baby in the first place, so what right do they have to simply palm it off to us.

Now back to your, and other posters point of it simply being a matter of transferring money.

Many small business owners are in business as they are not qualified to earn a decent wage, yet are highly skilled in what they do, so the easy option is to do their own thing. And many do it well.

So, when it comes to paying their employees super, they have to pay someone else to do it for them, much like their bass , yet another unpaid job.

At the end of the day, all I am suggesting is that this type of burden be lifted from small business owners,or at the ver least, simplified, especially given that so many today are doing it tough.

I know so many who simply refuse to employ staff any more and, given that contractors are starting to be treated like staff, lord knows where we will end up.

Working for someone else is one option, but can that last?

The slowing of the mining industry is going to make the jobs market very competitive.

That's illogical, rehctub.

>>I have recently engaged a contractor, looks like he will have to now go cause it's simply not worth the hassle<<

A genuine contractor - as opposed to an employee who pretends to be a contractor - is the very easiest to deal with. They handle their own tax, super, insurance etc., all you do is pay their legitimate invoice.

>>What if you haven't met your super obligations<<

If you haven't paid into the individual's super fund, and if you haven't paid into a Fund that you use as a "bucket" for those who haven't given you their details, then the Government wants you to pay it to them instead - into their "bucket", if you will. I had to do this on one occasion. It is painless.

>>In reality, super should be paid to the employee<<

There certainly is a case to be made for that. But given the burden is minimal, it's just another aspect of employee care. It is certainly far less onerous than calculating and paying their wages in the first place.

>>...an even simpler option would be for employers to combine super, with our PAGY contributions, and let the government deal with the employees super component<<

I wouldn't trust a government department to look after my employees' interests further than I could throw them. Can you imagine the hassle, time-wasting and blame-passing if they dropped the ball?

Which they inevitably would.

>>...when it comes to paying their employees super, they have to pay someone else to do it for them, much like their bas...<<

It really does sound as though you don't have a computer. All of this can be done in no time at all. A simple accounting package that handles wages (and PAYG, GST, super etc) and a link to the internet, and you're home free. Don't pay someone else to do what you can do in an hour a month - which you'd have to spend collecting the paperwork for them to work through anyhow.

This has been another Public Service announcement in support of small business.

' so many today are doing it tough.'

They're killing us! They're killing small business!

'Now, how did you go with finding that unpaid worker, still searching are we.'

Tell you what butcher, you can pay yourself double time when you do the business' books on Sunday over a beer. Of course that would mean you'd have to pay income tax like your workers.

Ah these business owners, always with their hand out to the government. The poor tax payers footing the bill for ever more. Do you think the government's a charity to supply free administration for your business? One cost of doing business is paying employees their entitlements and doing the books. Super is one of these entitlements.

' the workers, the ones we do this for'

Yep, still doing the world a favour you magnanimous business man you. Is it doing them a favour to give them their money? Do you make them buy their own toilet paper too?

You're as bad as the airlines and their fuel levy.

' this type of burden be lifted from small business owners'

Oh the burden, it's too much! Too much!

'doing it tough', 'the ones we do this for', 'burden'. The trifecta! Wooho!

Encore!

Houellebecq, reading between the lines, I can only assume you didn't find another unpaid worker, who's unpaid work comes with threats.

...You're as bad as the airlines and their fuel levy.

So you think they should just wear that one hey, just so you can enjoy your cheap air fairs.

As for tax, we do not pay one red cent more than we have to, in any case, it's just wasted.

Good old depreciation and negative gearing.

It's just a pity it's more beneficial to buy plant, than it is to employ now.

But you're not unpaid Butcher, as I said, you can pay yourself double time.

'So you think they should just wear that one hey'

Haha wearing the cost of fuel. I suppose you wear the cost of meat. Maybe you should have a meat levy on your customers, as a separate charge. A butcher shouldn't have to pay for meat!

Who would have thought fuel would be needed to run an airline. I wonder what other costs of business can be turned into a levy. It was a nice way of devaluing the frequent flier points of their loyal customers.

'As for tax, we do not pay one red cent more than we have to, in any case, it's just wasted.'

On things like free administrative and accounting services to all you small business owners?

Houl, sorry, havnt checked for a while.

Fuel levies are very common in any business that is a high user of fuel.

When fuel hits the $150/ Lt mark, most deliveries have a surcharge added to cover the cost.

Of cause with airlines, they could simply increase fairs, but then you would whinge about that too.

I am still waiting for that unpaid worker example too.

But remember, the job must come with the risk of a fine if they get it wrong.

As I've said many times butcher, you're not unpaid. You can pay yourself whatever you want for your time. But you'd have to pay some income tax for a change. That would hurt!

So until now I haven't bothered thinking of any unpaid worker, as you're not unpaid, so your point is moot. You can pay yourself $200 an hour for the burden if you want butcher. You know you can.

But anyway there are many occupations where you can be fined for unpaid work, even go to jail for supposed negligence. Ask any doctor. And everyone has to do their tax return for free and can get fined if it is wrong.

Australians do hundreds of thousands of hours of unpaid overtime every year. That's free work for you business owners.

'The typical full-time employee in Australia works 70 minutes of unpaid overtime a day. This equates to 33 eight-hour days per year, or six and a half standard working weeks.'

http://apo.org.au/research/something-nothing-unpaid-overtime-australia

But you want money for the 'burden' of spending 2 minutes on the internet changing a direct debit. So charitable you are. How many unpaid hours have your workers put in for you, so you can make your fortune, yet you wont even spend 2 minutes to change where their super gets paid.

I would not complain at all about increased air fares, they can just quote me their best price and leave aside the sob story about their fuel prices. Why am I supposed to care? Why? They seem to have the same mentality as you that their customer should directly compensate them for the burden of paying for the costs of running their business