BGL joins in fight against minimum SMSF cap
SMSF software company BGL has released new data on SMSF administration costs to challenge assertions that SMSFs below $200,000 are not cost effective.
BGL chief executive Ron Lesh said he is concerned about the “continuing attacks on SMSFs” based on outdated and incorrect data used by the Productivity Commission.
“We have extracted data from our client database this week that tells us the data used by the Productivity Commission is simply flawed,” said Mr Lesh.
“Our data clearly shows the administration cost for funds with balances of less than $200,000 is around 1 per cent, and as the fund balance grows this percentage drops significantly.”
Mr Lesh said he has always been strongly opposed to establishing a minimum cap on how much is needed to set up an SMSF.
“It is simply not possible. The circumstances of people are all very different,” he said.
“You may have a guy who is 40 years of age, has a balance of $80,000 in an industry fund who decides to move to SMSF. Some people would say - hey that’s not enough to set up an SMSF. But the same guy is then going to make a non-concessional contribution of $100,000 the next year, make his $25,000 concessional contribution and buy a property with an LRBA. Does he now have enough in his SMSF?”
Alternatively, Mr Lesh said an individual may not have $100,000 to put in his SMSF, so he invests the $80,000 plus his $25,000 concessional contributions in Australian and overseas listed securities.
“What’s wrong with that? This likelihood he is would still be better than being in an industry fund - and he would know exactly where his money is invested and exactly to whom he is paying fees”, added Lesh.
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.
