Some businesses do not fit the template. They sell into three countries, raise capital every eighteen months, restructure twice a year, run staff across states, hold intellectual property in one entity and operations in another, or simply move faster than a quarterly BAS cycle can describe. We act for businesses like these across Brisbane and south-east Queensland, and we are set up for the pace.
Businesses become complex because they are winning. Export orders arrive and suddenly there is foreign income, withholding tax and transfer pricing to think about. A software product takes off and the question of where the intellectual property should sit becomes worth real money. An investor comes in and the cap table, the shareholder agreement and the employee share scheme all need a tax view. Growth across state borders brings payroll tax in several jurisdictions.
A standard compliance accountant handles each of these as an exception, usually after the fact. A business in this phase needs an adviser who expects them, plans for them and keeps the structure a step ahead of the next development.
Brad from Manna Health described Greg as "an absolute lifesaver when it comes to navigating complex international tax matters." That is the kind of problem we are built for.
Selling overseas, buying from overseas, hiring overseas or taking investment from overseas each pulls an Australian business into another country's tax system and into the rules that govern the interaction. Permanent establishment risk, withholding tax on payments in and out, double tax agreements, transfer pricing on dealings between related entities, the treatment of foreign subsidiaries and the GST position on exports and imported services all need to be handled deliberately.
We advise Australian businesses expanding offshore and foreign-owned businesses operating in Queensland. We work with the ATO's rules and with the business's commercial reality to keep the structure compliant in each jurisdiction without paying tax twice on the same dollar. Where a local adviser is needed in another country, we coordinate rather than hand off.
The aim is a structure that scales with the business's footprint, not one that has to be rebuilt every time a new market opens.
A business doubling every year cannot wait for the year-end accounts to find out how it is going. It needs monthly reporting that is accurate within days of month end, a cash forecast that is updated every week when cash is tight, unit economics by product or market, and a board pack that investors trust.
Our virtual CFO service delivers this with a senior person on the business, not a junior on the file. We set up the systems to match the complexity: multi-currency Xero, inventory or project tracking, revenue recognition that reflects subscriptions or long contracts, and consolidation across entities and countries. The reporting then supports the next raise, the next bank facility and the next strategic decision.
Research and development incentives, export grants and other programs are assessed as part of the plan, because for a fast-growing business they can be a meaningful source of funding.
Operating across Australian states brings its own layer: payroll tax thresholds and grouping rules that differ by state, land tax and duties on premises, and contractor arrangements that are treated differently in each jurisdiction. Add several entities and the compliance load multiplies.
We manage the whole footprint: registrations in each state, payroll tax grouping across the entities, consolidated reporting and a single calendar so nothing is missed. Our multi-entity group accounting page covers the group side in more detail.
Our complex-business clients include technology and software companies, exporters and importers, health businesses with multiple sites and service entities, professional firms with partner structures, and family groups with international members. Many have moved to us from larger firms that charged for complexity without reducing it.
We work from Victoria Point and Jimboomba and online with businesses across Australia. If your business has outgrown the answers you are getting, a strategy call is the first step.
Whether your activity in the other country creates a taxable presence there, how payments from overseas customers are taxed and whether withholding applies, the GST treatment of the export, and whether a local entity would be better than selling from Australia. These are best settled before the first large contract rather than after.
Yes. Transfer pricing rules apply to related-party dealings across borders regardless of size, though the documentation requirements scale. We set arm's-length terms for intercompany charges and prepare the documentation the ATO expects, proportionate to the group.
Shares or options given to employees are generally taxed as income when the discount is received, but eligible start-ups can offer schemes where tax is deferred and gains are treated as capital. The scheme must be designed to meet the conditions. We design and document schemes and handle the annual reporting.
Often, yes. Rollovers in Australian tax law allow many restructures to occur without triggering capital gains tax or other taxes, provided the conditions are met and the change is done for genuine commercial reasons. We map the current structure, design the target and plan the steps.
Yes. We prepare investor reporting, model raises and dilution, manage the tax side of term sheets and share issues, and ensure the company's R&D and grant positions are maximised. We work alongside the company's lawyers on each round.
Usually within a few weeks for the handover, with a clean-up plan agreed up front where the files need it. Lodgements continue on time during the transition. For businesses mid-raise or mid-restructure, we prioritise what the deal needs first.
