CGT consideration essential to estate planning, advisers told
When making decisions about whether to apply the CGT relief and how to apply it, SMSF practitioners and their clients need to consider the potential tax outcomes upon the death of a member, says the SMSF Academy’s Aaron Dunn.
Mr Dunn says there may be SMSFs with members who are in the retirement phase, where the death of these members triggers the requirement for the fund to adopt a low proportional approach.
“[For example,] you might have two clients with $1.6 million each, and the dad passes away and an asset in the fund is going to be passed down and held for a very long period of time,” he said
“Taking the election [in this instance] may be beneficial because the asset in the fund is likely going to outlast one or more of the members in the fund.”
Mr Dunn said estate planning is, therefore, going to “become very critical” in the process of applying the CGT relief.
Miranda Brownlee
Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.
Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates.
Miranda also has broad business and financial services reporting experience, having written for titles including Investor Daily, ifa and Accountants Daily.
