The (Australian) Financial Review has found some anomalies for what is tax deductible in the line of every day business.
Misa Han claims that professional women cannot claim handbags as a work expense even though briefcases and satchels are tax-deductible. The reason it seems is personal.
Women carry personal items in their hand bags. Men it is claimed can claim their bags as they carry work computers, work papers and the like. A taxpayer can claim a deduction for briefcases, satchels and other business luggage if they are used predominantly for work.
But there is a catch. It's a hand bag catch if you like. Ms Han got this out of the tax office in an email: "The purchase of a handbag has the hallmarks of a private expense, as a handbag is used for carrying personal use items. That is, handbags are not bought to be used for work purposes and are not used for work purposes and therefore are not deductible."
Ms Han cites Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons who said the tax law reflects an "outdated assumption that business people will be men" and should be changed to acknowledge women are accepted in corporate roles.
The articles gives chapter and verse to numerable examples of women who use their handbags for work from corporate identities to women police offices.
Tax lawyer Richard Roberts was also cited: "A woman can maximise their chance of claiming it on tax if they can show the Tax Office they had a handbag to purely carry work items around. One way of showing that would be if you had a bag for carrying around personal items and another one just to go to meetings and courts."
There you are, grand-ma's bicycle's old string bag will come in handy after all – lips sticks, tissues, tampons, facial creams, powder, mirror – as long as none of them fall through the string gaps. Oh yes, I forgot, grand-ma's dainty hanky for 'dropping purposes' as Mr Dreamboat walks by.
What about the clergy and missions
Would carrying a bible in a brief case be a work related item for a minister or missionary? What about a bible dust cloth? How about a stole? Perhaps a mitre.
Certainly iphones, ipads, computers are quite acceptable to carry in your tax deductible brief case even if you make the occasional home call. If your spouse is a minister as well, who can tell which is what?
It would appear women minister's might be in trouble like their corporate sisters. They too might need two bags but for additional reasons.
Women on the most part feature home responsibilities and with these high tech IT items such as iphones, the question of work related issues would be questionable.
This is where it gets ridiculous. Ministers and missionaries – male or female - are on duty 24/7. Today churches and missions too need accountants who know their way around the tax system. It's such a pity that those persons in Government play such a nasty tricky game against those serving their own communities.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html