AIST backs SMSF SuperStream levy reform

5 March 2013
| By Staff |
image
image
expand image

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) has again urged the Government to consider self-managed super funds (SMSFs) in the calculation of the SuperStream levy.

In a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee (PJC) on corporations and financial services, AIST said it supported the reform of SMSF supervisory levy arrangements.

AIST said comments by the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (MYEFO) regarding a shortfall of SMSF levy revenue exemplified why the industry body supported the move, although AIST conceded it was not the reason the levy had been brought forward.

AIST chief executive Tom Garcia said that although SMSFs were a key recipient of the SuperStream reforms, it was funds regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) that would bear the cost.

He said the benefits to the SMSF sector were openly supported by the industry, and cited a statement from SMSF Professionals' Association of Australia (SPAA) technical director Peter Burgess in 2011.

"Ensuring all rollovers and employer contributions must be accompanied by mandatory sets of data will eliminate the need for SMSF administrators to chase up missing data and undertake time-consuming reconciliation processes," Burgess said.

AIST said the levy should be co-funded by the nearly 500,000 SMSFs that service 1 million members.

The costs of implementing the reforms were budgeted at an additional $467 million in the 2012 Federal Budget, with a slight downgrade in November, AIST said.

SMSFs should be levied $311 towards the Australian Taxation Office's SuperStream development costs in 2012-13 as a per capita proportionment of the total cost to the sector ($146 million), according to AIST.

* A prior version of this article incorrectly attributed the need for an SMSF levy of $311 per SMSF to SPAA technical director Peter Burgess. 

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest developments in Super Review! Anytime, Anywhere!

Grant Banner

From my perspective, 40- 50% of people are likely going to be deeply unhappy about how long they actually live. ...

11 months ago
Kevin Gorman

Super director remuneration ...

11 months 1 week ago
Anthony Asher

No doubt true, but most of it is still because over 45’s have been upgrading their houses with 30 year mortgages. Money ...

11 months 1 week ago

Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Co...

2 days 3 hours ago

Demand from institutional investors was the main driver of growth in Australia’s responsible investment (RI) market in 2023, as the industry continued to gain momentum....

2 days 3 hours ago

In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges....

2 days 4 hours ago