FBT Packaging Limit - Who Do I Write to to Get This Increased?

Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 19:07

Hi,

Im looking for information on who I can write to request a review of the FBT Packaging limit for employees working in government or non for profit organisations.

I'll be honest, I get this is a privilege already but feel this benefit has not increased over many years inline with inflation and regular cost of living benefits. I'm not here to argue about where there government or non for profit jobs are cushy. I just feel this benefit has been overlooked.

For me personally, the $9,010 tax-free living expense limit in a year is consumed pretty quickly.

Does anyone know who to write write to?

Financial FBT

Comments

  • original15 on 24/10/2023 - 19:12
    +5

    If you work for the govt, talk to your boss, they can talk to their boss, they theirs and so on and so on. It’ll get to the top eventually right..

    Please sir, can I have some more?

  • Pelicannn on 24/10/2023 - 19:21

    Interesting. I work in government and have zero limits on salary sacrificing.

    Potentially your HR team can pursue.

    • Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 19:30

      I thought the FBT limit (exemption) was ATO imposed.

  • salmon123 on 24/10/2023 - 19:33
    +3

    employees working in government or non for profit organisations

    It's not government - it's PBI (public benevolent institutions, ie public hospitals), health promotion charities, hospitals and ambulance services.

    PBIs and Non-profits have a higher limit than hospital employees.

    Does anyone know who to write write to?

    I'd start with the governor general, PM and work your way down to your local member and tax commissioner. I think you'll be hard pressed to convince anyone. They've been scaling back the benefits for years.

    • Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 19:41

      Dont think there's any hope at all?

      • salmon123 on 24/10/2023 - 21:11
        +1

        Dont think there's any hope at all?

        Nope - lots of treasury papers about how it's an ineffective tax break. Treasury wants it gone. Only a matter of time until a Politician summons' the courage to do it.

        Guess who'll bear the brunt of the pain? Not the rank-and-file workers who get the "benefit" … the salary packaging companies.

        • Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 21:25

          Yeah those companies charge a nice fee

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 24/10/2023 - 19:50
      +4

      pm

      Oiiii mister prime ministerrrrrr

  • Almost Banned on 24/10/2023 - 19:38
    +1

    Go ahead and write to the Treasurer.
    I am sure they will prepare a submission for the next Expenditure Review Committee of Cabinet and it will make its way into next year's budget.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 24/10/2023 - 19:47
    +5

    That’s a bloody outrage, it is! I’m going to take this all the way to the Prime Minister.
    Oi! Albo!

    • jv on 24/10/2023 - 20:01
      -2

      Oi! Albo!

      He's on holidays again…

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 24/10/2023 - 20:34
      +4

      It’s the constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law, it’s the vibe!

  • jv on 24/10/2023 - 20:00
    +2

    FBT Packaging Limit - Who do I write to to get this increased?

    Santa

    • salmon123 on 24/10/2023 - 21:07
      +1

      Santa

      Wife says Santa closed his 2023 mailing list early October. Gonna have to wait until the 2024 list opens up.

  • jv on 24/10/2023 - 20:02

    $9,010 tax-free living expense

    LOL

  • Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 20:25
    +1

    Whats with all the trolling for asking a genuine question….

  • MrFrugalSpend on 24/10/2023 - 20:32
    +3

    Sorry to sh!t on your parade Minto, but I have a mate who works for a public hospital that gets this, can salary sacrifice his mortgage payments etc, so I know a bit about how it works… however, what I don't get is why he and you get it at all - let alone an increase.

    Don't get me wrong, what people in the health sector and associated charities etc do is great and necessary, but by giving them alone a special tax exemption, does this mean to say that what all the rest of us do is not important?

    For example, let's say I work for a construction company, that construction company happens to build buildings for hospitals, schools, and charities… these important buildings would not exist without people in my job - yet I work, get paid, pay full freight tax, get ZERO salary sacrificing benefits and lose 32.5-37% of my money to the government plus pay my living expenses without any help after tax entirely…. so why am I paying for your living expenses again… and mine?

    • Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 20:34

      Thank you for a respectful answer.

      I think what youll find is to attract people to the industry and to offset things such as shifts, parking etc.

      If you look at the awards, some of the (not all) are really not competitive to the private industry in terms of wages.

      • MrFrugalSpend on 24/10/2023 - 20:38
        +2

        I hear that argument all the time, not only from mates in public sector but my in-laws all work for the government too… yet I find most of them actually get paid fairly well given I know what they get paid. My mate is a nurse and gets paid quite well - especially with volunteering for all the double time and a half days, getting RDOs, special super rates, and a ton of other things always touted as 'because we aren't competitive with the private sector otherwise'… and they never work a minute of overtime without being paid for it, unlike almost EVERYONE on salary in the private sector.

        If we just kept is flat and simple without all the special perks, then it would be easy to compare what everyone gets and just pay more and not need such complicated comparisons to whether or not public sector is comparable to private - all they'd have to do is look at the huge array of data the government collects on it all the time and adjust accordingly.

        So what you are really asking for then is a pay rise… problem solved!

        (PS that's something else that is often well structured and reviewed in public service - when times are tough in private sector industries doing it tough… often we hear increase in interest rates means the business is struggling = no pay rises at all despite rising costs of living - I bet that didn't happen in the last year in your job and the pay got indexed up in line with CPI or thereabouts - right?)

        • Mintee on 24/10/2023 - 20:57

          No. My cpi this year was 2% way below cpi.

          I do work two jobs, where my private sector job retail job was re indexed at 7%.

          I like the benefit over a pay rise as realistically the benefits has flow down effects such as a lower medicare levi, lower private health insurance premiums

          I think im a little different to your mate, where being salaried. OT is expected sometimes and you don't get that extra pay. I have alot of respect for nurses but i would argue it is one of the better structured awards… But thats a whole different argument

          • MrFrugalSpend on 24/10/2023 - 21:35

            @Mintee: well that's a bit poo - like I said, pay rise, not special tax lurk…
            7% on the other hand - was it forced award increase by govt?

  • MS Paint on 24/10/2023 - 21:27
    +2

    🎻

  • sumyungguy on 24/10/2023 - 21:50
    +1

    I think you'll find private sector employers and employees covet this lurk. I recall it had something to do with PBI/charity sector paying lower wages than private sector, which used to be an actual thing but over time this gap has probably reduced. It was also widely rorted - PM me if you want to know more. Chance of getting it increased is less than zero. Make sure you maximise your personal benefit while it still exists.

  • zzzsianzzz on 24/10/2023 - 23:32

    change to your private job full time?
    if indexed 7%, why dont you turn permanent in that job? no OT?
    lol.

    the benefit was rorted, you have to thank the past gamers.

    you are in wrong sector, compare apples and oranges?

    you can change to another job with time you write to PM and governments.
    your union can help. lol.

  • salmon123 on 25/10/2023 - 09:14
    +1

    Oh - forgot to mention - if you work 2 part-time jobs with different organizations, you can claim it twice!

    Maybe that's the simplest solution for the OP.

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