Are you claiming everything your assets are entitled to?

Business owners spend a lot of time looking for ways to make more money.

  • More customers.
  • Better margins.
  • Greater productivity.
  • New opportunities.

But sometimes improving the financial performance of a business isn’t about finding something new.

Sometimes it is about making sure you are getting the full financial benefit from what you already have.

That is a conversation BMT Tax Depreciation (GBC 2027 Corporate Partner) has been having with Australian property owners and businesses for many years.

BMT is a specialist quantity surveying firm helping owners of residential investment properties, commercial property owners and businesses identify and claim the tax depreciation deductions available from their properties and assets.

And sometimes those deductions can be significant.

Your building is getting older. That can have a tax benefit.

Buildings and the assets within them naturally wear out and decline in value over time.

Tax depreciation recognises that decline in value and allows eligible owners of income-producing property to claim deductions over time.

There are generally two areas involved.

Capital works relate to the building structure and permanently fixed elements.

Plant and equipment relates to eligible assets that can be more readily removed, such as certain air conditioning systems, hot water systems, security systems and other equipment.

The rules around what can be claimed, when it can be claimed and over what period can become complicated.

That is where a specialist quantity surveyor comes in.

BMT’s quantity surveyors identify eligible assets, estimate construction costs where necessary and prepare a detailed tax depreciation schedule that can then be used when preparing tax returns.

The objective is simple:

Make sure you are identifying the depreciation deductions you are legitimately entitled to claim.

This isn’t just about residential investment property

Many people associate tax depreciation with residential property investment.

And it certainly matters there.

BMT reports that its residential investment property clients claimed an average of approximately $12,000 in depreciation deductions in the first full financial year last year across new and second-hand properties.

But depreciation can be equally relevant in the commercial world.

  • Offices.
  • Factories.
  • Warehouses.
  • Retail premises.
  • Hotels.
  • Medical centres.
  • Childcare centres.
  • Agricultural facilities.
  • Industrial properties.

And many other income-producing commercial buildings can contain significant depreciable value.

For a business owner who also owns the premises from which the business operates, that makes depreciation something well worth investigating.

What if you lease your premises?

Here is something some business owners may not realise.

You don’t necessarily need to own the building for depreciation to be relevant.

Commercial tenants may also be entitled to claim depreciation on eligible fit-out and plant and equipment assets they own.

Think about the money businesses spend fitting out premises.

  • Partitions.
  • Floor coverings.
  • Lighting.
  • Air conditioning.
  • Furniture.
  • Specialist equipment.
  • Electrical installations.
  • Security.

Depending upon the asset, ownership and applicable tax rules, there may be depreciation deductions available.

And when a business has invested substantially in fitting out a commercial property, understanding those deductions can become an important part of managing the financial return on that investment.

Small improvements can compound over time

There is a reason depreciation fits so naturally with the thinking we encourage at Global Business Camps.

Building a stronger business isn’t always about discovering one enormous breakthrough.

Often it comes from identifying many smaller opportunities to improve performance.

  • A little more margin here.
  • Faster cash collection there.
  • A productivity improvement.
  • A cost saving.
  • A better system.
  • A tax deduction that had previously been overlooked.

Individually, each improvement may seem relatively small.

Collectively, and compounded over years, they can make a substantial difference.

Tax depreciation is a perfect example.

A depreciation schedule isn’t about creating an artificial deduction.

It is about properly identifying deductions that may already exist within an income-producing property and its eligible assets.

If you are entitled to them, why would you want to miss them?

Expertise matters

Tax depreciation is a specialist area.

BMT’s quantity surveyors work across residential and commercial properties and prepare detailed schedules designed to identify the available deductions over the effective life of the property and its assets.

For commercial properties, their reporting can also accommodate more complicated circumstances, including multiple entities, tenants and assets purchased at different times.

BMT works closely with accountants and property professionals around Australia, combining specialist quantity surveying knowledge with an understanding of the tax depreciation rules that apply to property.

They also provide a range of useful tools and resources for property owners and professionals wanting to better understand depreciation, construction costs and property cash flow.

And they are confident in the value of what they do.

BMT offers a guarantee that if they cannot find double their fee in deductions in the first full financial year, there will be no charge for their service.

Better deductions can mean better cash flow

Ultimately, depreciation isn’t simply an accounting exercise.

Claiming legitimate depreciation deductions can reduce taxable income.

And that can improve cash flow.

For an investor, better cash flow can improve the financial performance of an investment.

For a business owner, retaining more cash within the business can create more capacity to invest, employ, reduce debt or pursue other opportunities.

That makes understanding depreciation part of a much bigger conversation about making your assets work harder for you.

Proud to have BMT Tax Depreciation in the GBC community

Global Business Camps is about encouraging business owners to look closely at every part of their business and ask:

Can we do this better?

Sometimes the answer involves strategy.

Sometimes it involves people, technology, customers or systems.

And sometimes it involves discovering financial opportunities hiding within assets you already own.

That is why we are extremely grateful to have BMT Tax Depreciation as a Corporate Partner of the 2027 Global Business Camp and to have their specialist knowledge contributing to our broader GBC community.

So here is a question worth asking:

Could there be legitimate tax deductions sitting inside your property or business assets that you aren’t currently claiming?

Whether you own an investment property, own commercial premises or have invested significantly in a fit-out as a commercial tenant, it may be worth finding out.

Take a look at BMT Tax Depreciation and discover whether the assets you already have could be working harder for you.

Visit bmtqs.com.au to find out more.

Looking for solutions to make your business thrive?

Click the link below to Register for our 3-day Camp from 1–3 March, 2027 to learn strategies to finally get your business under control.

https://globalbusinesscamps.com.au/camps-events/register-for-the-2027-camp/

Or if you are unsure, book a discovery call with John Tsoulos on (08) 8423 6177 to learn how this fantastic event could be just what you have been looking for.