{"id":2385,"date":"2020-09-22T11:23:23","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T01:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saige.com.au\/?p=2385"},"modified":"2020-09-22T11:23:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T01:23:25","slug":"discretionary-trusts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saige.com.au\/business\/business-advice\/discretionary-trusts\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Business Better in a Discretionary Trust?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Setting up the right structure for your business can be confusing. Sole traders, partnerships companies or trusts each have different legal and tax implications. Choosing the right structure now for how your business may evolve in the future isn\u2019t easy.<\/strong><\/p>

While most business structures make general sense, trusts in particular are a little tricky to understand. A discretionary trust, typically used in family businesses, is becoming a popular business structure, mainly for the tax and legal implications, however it\u2019s important everything is setup correctly to avoid getting in hot water with the ATO and the law.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tBy 2022, it is expected that over 1 million trusts will exist in Australia.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAustralian Taxation Office<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTweet<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is a trust?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A trust in its simplest form is a relationship. A relationship between two entities, a trustee and a beneficiary. The trustee holds assets (cash, property, investments etc) on behalf of (or in trust for) the beneficiaries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Who is a trustee?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A trustee is an individual or legal entity (e.g. a company) who manages the trust according to the terms laid out in the trust deed. The trustee is legally responsible for managing the trust and distributing income to the nominated beneficiaries. A business owner can play the role of the trustee; however, it is more common that a company plays the role of the trustee to remove the personal liability from the individual business owner.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is a beneficiary of a trust?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A beneficiary is again any individual or company nominated in the trust deed as a beneficiary. They are entitled to income from the trust on the terms set out in the trust deed. A trust can have more than one trustee and more than one beneficiary. A trustee can also be a beneficiary, just not the sole beneficiary.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is a discretionary trust?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A discretionary trust means that the benefits distributed to the beneficiaries is at the \u2018discretion\u2019 of the trustee. Meaning the income distributed to each beneficiary can change at any time. If beneficiaries want certainty of income, a unit trust is an alternative trust structure which specifies the exact share of each beneficiary, much like shareholders in a public company.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What are the benefits of discretionary trusts?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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For business owners, discretionary trusts might make sense if you want to:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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