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Benefits of having a dash cam

September 14, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging General, Reviews, Tech No comments

Dash Cams have become quite popular in recent years, the small and relatively inexpensive device could end up saving you a fortune. Below we have listed some of the benefits that fitting a dash cam could provide to you and your family:

You have evidence of a car accident
dash-cam The main reason millions of car drivers worldwide invest into a dash cam is to provide evidence in the event of an accident. With insurance premiums increasing when you’re at fault and tempers of drivers increasing, it is unfortunate that an accident can turn into a blame game. Having a dash cam provides that undisputable evidence of the facts. Many dash cams start recording as soon as you start your car’s engine so it doesn’t miss a thing.

Perfect to check up on the kids driving
When the kids have just passed their Ps and are driving for the first time on their own it can be nerve racking for the parents. While you may have put the time and effort into teaching them the road rules, road etiquette and even safety measures, it is never an easy time to hand the keys to the kids. The dash cam records the journey and can be reviewed to ensure safe driving behaviour is being carried out (and the keys revoked if it is not).

Prevent insurance fraud
This occurs when some unscrupulous drivers purposely cause car accidents just to put the blame on the other party in order to extort money from the victim. While this is more prevalent in countries like Russia or some Asian regions, it is a consideration nowadays in Australia too. Many think that they are not hurting anyone as big insurance companies payout but ultimately it puts all insurance premiums up for all road users. Check out some clips here

Protection when parked
Some dash cams have sophisticated sensors that will activate the recording so that if you’re parked and your car gets a hefty bump, like if another car reverses into your parked car, it would start recording with the hope that it would capture the number plate to provide evidence for the police to follow up. I mean, everyone hates it when they go shopping and come back to a scratch, mark or dent on their car and no note with contact details of the offender. I once had a note on my car but unfortunately it was one of those “sorry I hit your car. Someone saw me so I’m writing this note so they think I’m leaving my details” notes. I wish I had a dash cam for that one!

Record your trip
Like any holiday, you can record footage of your travels. It can be a great investment if you’re a frequent traveller who wants to convert their road trips into a great experience and a memory you will cherish over the years. To get some ideas click here

Capture some cool stuff
In Russia, numerous dash cams caught the moment that a meteorite crashed. A compilation video has had almost 40 million views on youtube. You could be the next YouTube sensation.

Changes in the blink of an eye

September 6, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging General, Mobile, Salary Packaging No comments

Each year trends appear in the technology industry with new improvements happening almost daily but as you can salary package a portable device such as an iPad, tablet or laptop annually without any Fringe benefits Tax (FBT) you can afford to keep up to date. Some of the new features are fads and will fade as quickly as they arrived however some features will become standard across the board on laptops and other computer devices but how do you know what is a keeper and what you won’t need in your next purchase?

tablet There is generally an annual tech show that occurs in January each year in Australia and they also show around the world. At these conventions, computer producers try to one-up each other with the latest and greatest. We’ll discuss a few of the new and improved features available on current laptop, computer, handheld devices, etc.

Having a convertible design seems to be the ‘top of the charts’ must have – giving you flexibility to have a laptop for your desk at work and converting to a convenient and small tablet while on your flight to Sydney. Many suppliers are now integrating convertible functionality into their designs but are not skimping on capability or power to do so.

New connections are big each year, with the introduction of UBS-C in 2016. The idea of new connection ports is to fasten up the transfer rate (data and power) and again improve performance. These may become the norm relatively soon, with Macbook, Dell, HP and Lenovo all including it in their 2016 releases so just watch out for this one.

OLED – have you heard of it yet? It’s all about screen resolution and it’s been in some of our mobile phones for a little while now (Samsung Galaxy series) but only now are we starting to see it in laptops and TVs. So what is it? OLED, or organic light-emitting diodes, works by putting electricity through certain materials that glow specific colours. You effectively get a clearer and sharper colour but also as individual pixels shut down if there’s no colour, you get a blacker black, providing a significantly better watching experience. The application of OLED is endless and allows for a thinner screen and can even be made flexible. This is definitely one to watch out.

Intel, the main guys that produce PC chips, has again upgraded their processors to a new generation. Officially called Intel 6th Generation Core series (Code-named Skylake), these new CPUs are not only quite a bit faster than the one in your three-year-old laptop, but also promise significantly longer battery life.

Like every other year, there’s been significant technology change so it might be time for an upgrade. With the benefit of a FBT free purchase, maybe you should give us a call to see if you can get yourself a new laptop for a nice price while saving on tax. If you’re considering an iPad or other hand held device, you could even look at bundling it with your mobile phone – why not save tax on all your everyday items. Give us a call and we can see what other things can be packaged for you.

Second Hand Cars

July 13, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Cars No comments

Novated leases aren’t just for new cars. If you’re thinking of getting a second hand car you can package it as well. The only real rule when it comes to including a second hand car in your salary package is that it should not be older than eight (8) years old at the completion of the lease. There is no restriction on where you can purchase your car, giving you the freedom to purchase from a private seller or a car yard.

If you are considering a second hand car purchase for your package, here are a few tips to think about:

Time
When buying second hand, it may take you longer to find the right one or you may have to compromise. Write a list of things you want in your car and divide them into ‘must haves’ and ‘would likes’. This way, you won’t be swayed by a lower price, quick sale or other salesman tactics.

Research
Do your research – this means, check reviews and google search the make and model of the car. See if there are repeated reports that it’s a lemon and maybe steer clear. In addition to general research on the vehicle type, do proper research on the actual car you’re looking to buy. Ask to see the service history book, do a check through your states registry websites on the details of the car, including VIN or Engine numbers or you may want to pay someone to do a proper full history on your car from websites like vehicle history.

Mechanical Checks
Make sure you get a full mechanical check of your car, and by someone you organise. There are mobile services that will come to you or alternatively get your personal mechanic to give it the once over. While a second hand car might be cheaper initially, it could end up being more expensive in the long run.

Include additional spending in package
One of the benefits of buying new is the limited need for major repairs. Make sure you take the history and age of the car into account when determining your additional spends on the car for your packaging purposes. For example, you may need to increase your servicing costs or add a provision for new tyres. When buying second hand, you need to be more diligent with the process. There are generally no warranties or guarantees and you could end up paying more than you would for a new car if you make a mistake. But if you do your research and get it right, you can enjoy your car and still get a tax saving along the way.

Demerit Point Deductions

June 1, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging General No comments

I was skipping through the VIC Roads website and came across some interesting details around demerit point deductions and the fines that go with it. While you should always drive in a safe and courteous manner to ensure that we can all enjoy the freedom the open roads provide us, I did also find some of the infringements interesting; some with high fines and others with loss of demerit points or even your licence. I’ve picked out a few that I think would be of most interest to you all as road users.

Police – Drink Driving offences are hit hard with not only a very heavy fine from $455 upwards, but also loss of maximum demerit points and potentially lose your license. Also, reoccurring offenders can expect to have an interlock fitted to their motor vehicle which really is just a breathalyser that only lets you drive if you are 0.0 blood alcohol level. It’s interesting to note that each machines is calibrated to the drink driver offender so that it is very difficult to trick the machine with someone else doing the breathalyser for you.

– Speeding brings a fine that is progressive depending on the level of excess speed. Starting at $190 for being less than 10 km over the speed limit, it increases up to $758 for over 45 km/h. You also lose demerit points ranging from 4 points to 8 points depending on how many kilometres per hour you travel over the speed limit and you also run the risk of losing your licence on the spot. However, it is interesting to note that if you are nabbed speeding by a speed camera, this attracts a higher fine starting at $265 for being less than 10 km over the speed limit and up to $1,744 for being 45 km/hr over the speed limit.

Interesting enough all the following offenses attract three demerit points and a fine ranging from $152 up to $303 per offence:
– disobeying traffic lights signs or police
– failing to give way or stop
– driving without a seatbelt or your passengers not wearing their seatbelts
– careless driving
– failure to display your P plates

As drivers we need to be aware of our surroundings. For the safety of others in our cars and also those who share the road with us, we need to be mindful of our speed making sure we use safe driving habit’s. No one likes a fine, or even losing their licence as it really restricts our freedom and mobility however they are in place to ensure that we all follow the rules to keep us safe. I want to make sure I make it home for my family and I want the same for you.

Top 5 Ways to have a Car Accident

May 2, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Cars No comments

A few weeks ago and I stumbled across a survey from AAMI, which covered 3,700 people that had lodged claims for insurance and found that the top 5 claims were due to:

In the survey, many of the drivers indicated that they had changed their driving behaviours after they had been involved in an accident, with 45% saying they now drive slower and 25% of drivers upgrade their car to a safer one.

My Top 5 Ways to Avoid an Accident

1.    Plan your trip and make sure you are well rested before you drive
2.    Be comfortable and relax when you drive
3.    Allow plenty of time for the journey
4.    Listen to the radio for possible delays along the way
5.    Be alert as to what is happening around you.

It is my belief that these accidents can be avoided or reduced dramatically just by doing a few simple things.

Reduce Speed – most people would know that speed is one of the major factors that cause road accidents;
Use good time management – if it’s important, then leave at least 15 minutes earlier as it’s better to get there early than to speed or drive in an unsafe manner to get there on time or worse, never make it. When you’re running late stress builds up, blood pressure increases, you get distracted easily, and become more anxious;
Get a good night sleep – being well rested means that you will have good reaction times and increases your concentration. This would ensure safe driving but also the ability to take evasive actions if others are not so alert.
Reduce Distractions – things like phones, loud music or even conversation can sometimes be distracting. Try to reduce distraction and just concentrate on the job at hand – driving!

Understand that driving is a not a right, it is a privilege and we need to respect the road and other road users.

Let’s do our part to make our roads safer.

Source: AAMI Crash Index 2014

Fringe Benefit Tax Year End

April 5, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Cars No comments

The Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) year is different to a standard financial year and runs from 1 April to 31 March each year. So what does that mean for those of you that have salary packaging arrangements? You will have to gather the relevant information together and ensure that all kilometres have been run if you have a motor vehicle or that your employer has withheld enough from your wages as part of your package to cover any FBT payment.

FBT If you have a car salary packaged then you’ll need to get your odometer reading in on the 31st March to your provider. And while there is no longer tax scales dependant on the kilometre travelled, it is still required to ensure that your package has been calculated correctly and that the relevant FBT is payable. It helps to ensure that the kilometres match the fuel costs to match your budget so make sure you get this in ASAP. Many providers, including JBS Salary Packaging will accept a photo of your odometer reading as proof.

Did you also know that your FBT calculations on your motor vehicle can change depending on the vehicle availability during the FBT year. So if you were unable to use your car in any period during the FBT year, like if it was with a mechanic getting repaired, you’ll need to let JBS know.

Changes to the Australian Taxation Laws for FBT
The Tax office made changes to the Car Expense Deductions and the Meal Entertainment Benefit rules, with a summary of the details as follows:

Car Expense Deductions
Simply put, you have one of only two options in calculating your deduction. (1) use a single rate of $0.66 per kilometre for all motor vehicles regardless of engine size up to a maximum of 5,000 business kilometres for each car or (2) the logbook method of recording your travels including odometer readings for a minimum continuous period of 12 weeks.

It should be noted that your first trip of the day from home to the first business call is considered private use, and the same with your last trip from a business to home. You might want to arrange your diary and daily appointments to take this into consideration and gain the highest level of business kilometres usage.

Meal Entertainment Benefits
If you are one of the lucky employees who have the opportunity to claim a Meal Entertainment Benefit through Salary Packaging with your employer (Government Department and/or Organisation, Not for Profit or exempt Business), from 1 April 2016, the Reportable Cap has been set to $5,000 per annum. Any claims above the $5,000 will be counted towards the employee FBT commitment. So be aware as a good meal could cost you in FBT.

If you’re with JBSSP, we will have already taken these changes into consideration as part of your package however if you are concerned how these changes may affect you, contact our office for a chat.

Car Review | Commodore V8 – SSV – Redline

March 16, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Car reviews, Cars, Salary Packaging No comments

Last of an Australian Icon – Commodore V8 – SSV – Redline!

This is your last chance to drive or buy a rear wheel drive Aussie V8 with Ford ceasing production later this year and Holden at the end of 2017!

Holden has left the best V8 fittingly to their last version of the Commodore V8! The power output, standard safety features and creature comforts sets a new bench mark for Australian built vehicles.

If you are interested in purchasing a new vehicle please contact our team today.

I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed making it for you all to watch.

Thank you for watching ; and happy and safe motoring to you all

Rain Proof Your Windscreen

March 15, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Cars No comments

JBSSP Car manufacturers suggest replacing the windscreen wiper blades every three months and they also recommend having a spare set in your boot. Using a product called Rain X or similar every few weeks can help minimise the work of your wipers by causing water to bead off the windscreen and in light rain make the wipers unnecessary.

Available in most automotive retailers.

What is my car worth?

March 1, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Cars, Salary Packaging No comments

This is a common question. Usually there are a number of factors when determining what a car is worth however value and sale price can have little to do with each other depending on how you intend on getting rid of your vehicle.

Selling your car usually makes you reflect on the day you first purchased it; whether it was financed or if it was paid for with your hard earned cash. If you still have finance over your car or if you own it outright will also impact on what you do next.

Motor vehicles are generally one of those items you buy that depreciate in value the moment you drive it out of the dealership. Unfortunately, there is very little you can do to add value to the car.

If you intend on selling privately, it’s a good idea to know your stuff. Check out your competition on other sales platforms – used car yards, sales websites like car sales or trading post show the current prices that cars are selling for or redbook can help with giving you a guide on the value of your car, or even just drive around your neighborhood as there’s usually a few sitting on the side of the road with the big ‘FOR SALE’ sign in the window. Be realistic with your car and see the imperfections that might bring the price down. The next buyer doesn’t care that you bought it for $30,000 or that you spent $10,000 on it, they just want to buy the car as is at a fair price.

Car dealers, on the other hand, will always try to give you an embarrassing figure as a trade-in to make you feel down and disheartened. The car dealers are trying to win your business and to maximise their profits for the dealership by showing you that your current car isn’t worth anything but they can still put you in a brand new shiny vehicle.

Car dealers are looking for the work they have to do in buying the vehicle and then making it look good enough to sell it quickly. Don’t worry about fixing small issues before trading in as it usually has little bearing on the trade in value – remember, they have access to a lot cheaper parts and labour to get it looking great again. If you were to pay $100 to fix something, they could probably do it for only $20.

JBS Salary Packaging has a few tips to help maximise the value of your vehicle when it comes to sale time:
• Keep the car serviced as per the log book with the details up to date in the book
• Your registration needs to have about 6 months to go before it is due to expire
• Polish the car at least every three months as this will assist in removing any road contaminates eating into the paint work, but particularly when you are ready to sell
• Keep the interior of the car clean and fresh
• Minimise the number of kilometres traveled in the car, (ideally if you can do less than 10,000 km per year) the dealers will give a little more.

However you sell your car, make sure you are comfortable with the process and the price. Make sure all the paperwork is completed correctly and you retain a copy to ensure that you don’t end up with any speeding or parking fines on a car you no longer own.

One of the biggest tips when selling your car, particularly if privately, never let someone test drive your car without keeping something of theirs as collateral or identification to ensure they don’t just drive off with it. I’d suggest that if they drove to meet you, keeping their car keys and drivers license as a minimum.

If you have any questions about selling your car or you are looking at purchasing a new vehicle contact the team at JBS Salary Packaging for some great deals.

Learner Drivers

February 3, 2016 JBS Salary Packaging Cars, Salary Packaging No comments

I have children who are at various levels of driving experience and knowledge but more importantly very different attitudes towards driving on the road.

My son, who has just passed his learners permit, thought it was easy. We jumped in the car and went through the basics; accelerator to make it go, the brake to stop, the indicators to turn. Right, we are ready to go. His first words were “where does the key go?”. With that sorted, I said “lets go” then all of a sudden the motor starts screaming. He wondered why it wasn’t going as he just assumed it was an automatic. I realised then that there is so much to teach a learner driver and it is up to us, as full licence drivers to teach them if we want them to be competent and safe drivers.

Five Tips to Driving you might want to impart on your learner driver …

– Always do head checks and mirror checks to know where other vehicles are around you. While you might not be moving into another lane or turning, it’s good to know your surroundings in case you have to take evasive actions in the event of an accident or trying to avoid an accident.

– While you might not know it, tyre pressure plays a major part in your driving. It can make your car pull to one side, drive slower and even cost you more in additional fuel consumption. Tyre pressure is not determined by the type or size of the tyre but rather the vehicles load or driving application. You can find the pressure details in the manufacturers tyre placard or the vehicles owner manual. Also, you should only ever check your tyre pressure when the tyre is cold.

– Some road rules are really unusual so try to learn as much about driving and the road rules as possible. Did you know that you can be fined $87 for parking over the footpath in a driveway (even your own driveway). In Victoria, you can be fined for leaving your car with the window down more than 2 centimetres – but Queensland gets 5 centimetres.
– Driving, especially while learning, shouldn’t be a fashion statement. Wearing the wrong shoes when driving can make it harder to learn and can even be dangerous. You should consider wearing flat soled shoes to allow you to better feel how the car responds to what you’re doing.

– If you’re doing your driving test, a quick tip that someone told me before I went for mine was to ever-so-slightly adjust your rear mirror higher just so you have to tip your head up slightly to see in it, rather then just moving your eyes. It ensures that the tester can see that you are doing proper and regular mirror checks.

There was an article recently released from the Roads Minister where he suggested the government were looking at rewarding young Victorian driver’s for safe driving. Those young drivers could be rewarded with a free three year licence worth $76 if they completed both their red and green probationary periods with no traffic offences or demerit points.There are also a number of free and government funded courses available for young drivers to help them practice their skills, gain experience and become safer drivers on our roads. Check out Vic Roads for more information.

Contact JBSSP if you have any questions or would like more information about learner driver courses.