Kristen Sobeck

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson |Dickie Currer |Kristen Sobeck |Brianna Boecker

Australia could deliver breakthroughs in clean energy, battery technologies, artificial intelligence and vaccines, an industry group has predicted, if policies are urgently changed to boost local research and development. The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering issued the call on Monday in a report outlining changes it said could lift research investments from historic lows and improve collaboration between businesses and research groups.

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Joshua Gliddon |Kristen Sobeck |Eloise Keating

Lawmakers will today consider Labor’s plan to remove tax deductibility from the interest charged on overdue tax debt, in a bill Coalition MPs and independent crossbenchers argue will penalise struggling businesses. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) applies the General Interest Charge (GIC) to amounts that go unpaid after their due date. It also levels the Shortfall Interest Charge (SIC) on self-assessed debts that fall below what a taxpayer actually owes.