Extension needed on ASIC levy relief: Accountants



Professional accounting bodies have called on the corporate regulator to extend its financial adviser levy relief to all financial services participants.
CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the Institute of Public Accountants, said restoring the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) levy to its 2018-19 level over the next two years was a welcome relief for advisers.
“This decision will directly improve business viability and adviser retention rates. These are issues which also severely impact other financial services participants,” the bodies said.
The bodies noted company auditors and insolvency practitioners were also subject to the increase and debilitating fees that were difficult to budget for.
“Today’s announcement recognises the debilitating impact that ASIC industry fees are having on the profession and acknowledges the government’s role in controlling fee increases,” the bodies said.
“It doesn’t make sense to discriminate between participants by granting relief to some while ignoring others.”
Recommended for you
With an advice M&A deal taking around six months to enact, two experts have shared their tips on how buyers and sellers can avoid “deal fatigue” and prevent potential deals from collapsing.
Several financial advisers have been shortlisted in the ninth annual Women in Finance Awards 2025, to be held on 14 November.
Digital advice tools are on the rise, but licensees will need to ensure they still meet adviser obligations or potentially risk a class action if clients lose money from a rogue algorithm.
Shaw and Partners has merged with Sydney wealth manager Kennedy Partners Wealth, while Ord Minnett has hired a private wealth adviser from Morgan Stanley.