If you are an individual or a business that transfers money internationally, you will continue to be a target. For individuals, if you work overseas be careful of residency issues. The residency tests don’t necessarily work on ‘common sense’. Just because you work outside of Australia for a period of time does not mean you are not a resident for tax purposes. And, for those with international investments, it’s important to understand the tax status of earnings from those assets. Just because the asset and the earnings from those assets are overseas does not mean they are safe from Australian tax law, even if the cash stays outside Australia.

For business, Government regulation is increasingly cynical about those using low taxing jurisdictions, paying large management fees between international entities, and parking large debts in Australian entities.

Like every other tax authority, the Australian Tax Office wants its share of profits earned from Australian consumers. You can see this trend in the new GST rules (dubbed the ‘Netflix tax’) which come into effect on 1 July 2017 – although for many the requirement for foreign entities to charge GST on services and digital products provided to Australian consumers has already come into effect. On the other hand, changes to the GST treatment of international transactions that apply from 1 October 2016 are intended to make life easier for both Australian and overseas businesses, but these rules can become quite complex to apply in real life.

No one likes uncertainty and 2017 is shaping up to be a year where people feel unsettled. Take a breath, think strategically, look beyond your personal experience, and take advantage of the opportunities that are available to you.

*2015-16 figures Austrade Why Australia Benchmark Report 2017.