Interest Rates

Hands up all those who think that this article is going to be about motorbikes and being approved for a loan so you can buy yourself a new motorcycle  or so you can get the school leaver in your family a form of transport that’s relatively cheap to run so he or she can get to that first job next year. Well, we can certainly help you with this process and some of our posts earlier this year have covered issued to do with motorbikes and how to choose them.

But that’s not the only sort of bike you might need a loan for. These days, if you want a really good one, you might even need to take out a loan to buy a pushbike. Yes, a pushbike. While you can still find bikes of the sort that most readers knew when they were kids (and at the same sort of prices that won’t break the bank or require a loan), a really good bike can cost more than a second-hand car.

Bikes have come a long, long way in the last twenty-odd years, and they’ve been developing much faster than cars have. Twenty years ago, a really good bike had 12 gears and a car had five. Now, a really good new car has eight gears but a top-range bike can have 24 or more. Bikes have got lighter, too, with the best ones being made of pure carbon fibre. Add in suspension and you have something lighter, faster and capable of tackling rougher terrain than the old BMXes we used to muck about with. No wonder these bikes cost well into the thousands  and why you may need to take out a loan to buy one for yourself this Christmas.

Why are bikes getting so good? These top-notch bikes aren’t just the domain of professional mountain bikers, stunt cyclists and Olympic racers. These bikes are being used for commuting; hence the demand for better, more efficient machines. There’s also a bit of a prestige thing going on  if you do decide to ditch the car and cycle to work for whatever reason, and you’re the manager, it looks a bit better if you have a very, very good bike parked in the workplace parking space rather than the rusty old clunker you’ve had since high school. Lighter bikes are also more compatible with other forms of public transport, as it’s easier to get a carbon fibre bike onto a bus or train than a big steel or even aluminium one.

The one big advantage that a bike has over a car is that it will eventually pay itself off in savings  you don’t need petrol to fuel a bike (and you’ll probably save on gym memberships). This means that if you do take out a loan to buy a good bike, you will be able to put the money you would have spent on petrol into the weekly repayments. This brings out another advantage of taking out a loan to buy a good bike rather than saving up and getting one in six months time: having to make those weekly or fortnightly repayments helps you stay motivated to keep using the bike for your commute so you don’t have to pay for petrol as well as the weekly repayments.

When you buy your bike, don’t forget the other bits you’re going to need. You will need a good helmet and possibly some high-viz gear for daytime.You’ll definitely need lights for night-time and you will also need a very heavy-duty security lock. There are tons of other accessories to consider to make your bike commute better, from gloves to rainshield for backpacks, so you might like to allow for purchasing these if you are considering a loan for a bike.

OK, we probably aren’t going to see people doing a salary package involving a top-of-the-line pushbike in the near future. But if you’re considering your transport options for the year ahead and a cycle commute (with or without public transport for part of it) is feasible for you, then why not think about getting one of the great new bikes that are out there these days and taking out a loan for one of these instead of buying a second-hand car? But car, bike or motorbike (or boat, or ride-on lawn mower, etc.), remember to talk to us about the sort of loan you need so you can find the best deal possible.

There could well be a few of you out there that don’t realise that Renault, that great French brand that has never quite made it here, are the owners of a very large slice of Nissan Motor Company.

So we see at the moment both Nissan and Renault marketing some very aggressive finance rates.

With Renault, you can get a 2.9% Interest Rate on the Megane, the new Latitude Sedan and the Fluence Sedan and a 3.9% Interest Rate on the commercial range, namely the Kangoo, Trafic and Master vans.

With Nissan, they are offering a 1.9% Interest Rate on the new Micra.

On top of these they are offering free servicing and a 5 year warranty on some models which all seems quite compelling.

However, as with all of these special offers there is small print, which you must read. Both are restricted to 36 month terms and it is interesting that the comparison rate referred to in the advertising relates to a 60 month contract for $30,000, when the Micra costs half of this amount! So, go figure!

As with all of these deals, whilst on the face of it they may seem attractive, it is always best to try and compare apples with apples. You may find that the rate is only available for the car if you pay the full ticket price for the car. Whereas you may be able to negotiate a discount and then finance the vehicle at normal rates and end up better off.

There is no doubt that for some people, these are well worth considering but we would recommend that you do your homework first and don’t get drawn in by some slick salesperson’s spiel.

Back in May, there were some changes to the way that FBT is calculated on Company vehicles. This has lead to a much simpler way of calculating the tax, but in the interim I have been asked many times how this impacts existing contracts, so below I will try and explain in plain English.

One thing is clear, there is no longer a benefit for those travelling large numbers of kilometres per annum because there is now one flat rate of 20% across the board.

HOW THE OLD STATUTORY FORMULA METHOD WORKS

Under the old statutory formula method, the taxable value of car fringe benefits is based on the cost of the car multiplied by the relevant statutory percentage. The percentage depends on the number of kilometres the car has travelled, taking into consideration the number of days in the year that you provided car fringe benefits.

Where the last commitment in relation to a car has been entered into before 7.30pm AEST on 10 May 2011 the old statutory rates will continue to apply, as outlined in table 1.

However, if a pre-existing commitment is altered, it may be considered a new commitment that is subject to the new arrangements.

Table 1

HOW THE NEW STATUTORY FORMULA METHOD WORKS

The new flat statutory rate of 20% applies regardless of the distance travelled.

The new flat rate applies to all car fringe benefits after 7.30pm AEST on 10 May 2011, except where there is a pre-existing commitment in place to provide a car.

All pre-existing commitments will remain under the old statutory rates unless there is a change that would amount to a new commitment.

Statutory rate

So there you have it, plain and simple up until April 2014, but if you have any other questions relating to this, make sure you talk to the people at FinCar.

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Employee Contribution Method

Interest Rates

Tuesday, 10 May 2011 08:06

The Employee Contribution Method (ECM) is an evolution of the Novated Lease product that was initially introduced as a method of payment for Executives and high income earners to save money (taxes generally) regardless of their job description.

The original Novated Lease was established using the Statutory Fraction Method, more commonly known as the FBT method for those people who fell into the highest marginal tax bracket.

However, since July 30 2008, the top marginal tax rate rose to $180,000 from $150,000 which reduced the glamour of this product to many people.

So as not to disadvantage these people from this fundamental shift in tax rates the (ECM) was implemented to maximise the benefit from vehicle packaging for PAYE tax payers under $180,000 (after packaging).

The ECM is a more tax effective arrangement for those under the top tax margin simply because the FBT method uses a formula that is based on the capital value of the vehicle, the statutory fraction and highest marginal rate; E.g. Capital Value X Statutory Fraction X 45% X 2.0647 (easy hey!!not)

Basically, if you are under the top marginal rate of tax and you want to package your car you can contribute to the value of the vehicle pre-tax and the running cost post tax; saving you the difference on the margin.

For every dollar the employee contributes to the running costs of the vehicle they reduce their FBT liability of the vehicle by the same amount. So you are substituting the FBT costs for standard tax.

As a rule of thumb, you will save (on spending) approximately 10% of the value of the car each year. It may not seem too much, but if you purchase a $30,000 you will be about $3,000 per year better off than with the Standard Novation agreement. That is definitely better in your pocket than the ATOs!

Ask the people at FinCar for more information on ECM when you call.

Toyota has released a new finance scheme to move some over stocked vehicles into the market, named- Toyota Advantage. The plan is to offer just 2.9% interest to approved buyers over a four year period using of course, Toyota Finance. It is only available on the Entry level Yaris YR, Prius, Corolla Ascent and Camry Hybrid models bought before January 31, 2011.

This is excellent news for those in need of a finance bargain. You can still negotiate a deal on the vehicle and receive the Finance package if you are approved. The reason is that Toyota is giving you the customer the bonus they would have normally given the dealer for selling the vehicle and is definitely an added incentive to tempt customers into their hybrid offerings for the first time.

David Buttner, Senior Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, Toyota Australia has recently be quoted saying, We are determined to continue offering customers excellent value with these cars, whether by adding features, repositioning prices or through other competitive offers such as finance.

You may choose from a straight 4 year term or add a balloon payment to it which would lower the monthly repayments even further.

This is a great deal with no loopholes but it is only available for the vehicles mentioned. All that said, it may not suit your individual needs and it may be more cost effective to get the car you actually want rather than those on offer. So if you are a private buyer or have and ABN and your own business ask Fincar to compare the deal with other vehicles you have in mind.