Dental x-ray is a visual way of conveying to the owner their pet’s discomfort and will also effectively demonstrate asymptomatic pathology that may require treatment. With iM3 Dental X-ray Solutions, designed specifically for vets, we can help you with the products, knowledge and the strategy to introduce and maximise the use of veterinary dental x-ray in your practice.
iM3 02 9420 5766
Email: sales@im3vet.com Website: www.im3vet.com.au/
We’re all getting excited about our Office Christmas party – but here’s a quick reminder about the tax implications from the ATO Grinch!
If your business holds a Christmas party:
If you give your employees a Christmas gift, you don’t pay FBT if the value of the gift is less than $300 per person and it would be considered unreasonable to treat it as a fringe benefit.
If the Christmas party is not subject to FBT, you can’t claim income tax deductions (or GST) for the cost of the party.
A fringe benefit is a payment made to an employee but in a different form to salary or wages. Benefits made to volunteers or contractors are NOT fringe benefits. A fringe benefit is provided “in respect of employment”. It can also be a benefit given to an associate of the employee. So, for example if an employer pays the gym fees of an employee’s spouse, this is considered a fringe benefit provided to an associate of the employee.
Examples of fringe benefits include:
Some work-related items (mainly used for work purposes) are exempt benefits. The exact exemption rules vary for small businesses:
‘Minor benefits’ are also exempt
FBT is the amount of tax that would have been paid by the employee if they had paid for the benefit out of their own wages, at the top marginal tax rate including the medicare levy (47%) – eg. To buy a gym membership costing $1,100 including GST, the wages required would be $2,075: – $975 tax and $1,100 membership.
Instead of paying the employee extra salary of $2,075, the employer pays the gym membership of $1,100, claims $100 GST credits, and pays the tax required directly to the ATO as FBT. The employer can claim an income tax deduction for both the cost of the gym membership, and the cost of the FBT.
The employee then does not pay income tax on the fringe benefit.
The FBT year is from 1st April to 31st March, and a FBT return must be lodged each year.
For more information visit https://smallbusiness.taxsuperandyou.gov.au/expense-payments-fringe-benefits-tax and https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/hiring-and-paying-your-workers/fringe-benefits-tax
Author:
Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment
This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.
Our LED150F is ideal for the general theatre workings of most veterinary practices with its high intensity (130K Lux for the FP model) and ease of use. The LED150F comes in either single or twin configurations as does all our lights!
HE Technical Services help with ceiling or wall mounted installations and what to consider that best suits your clinical rooms such as what is the floor to ceiling height?, What will support the light?, Wall isolation switch? Etc.
Doctors worldwide operate, diagnose and treat patients with the aid of medical lights from Dr. Mach. For a very good reason. No other company offers a detailed portfolio of this kind under one roof. No other company has such a wealth of experience in the production and application of medical lights. And no other company offers doctors such quality and reliability.
Dr. Mach was founded 75 years ago and today is still what it always has been. A specialised family business with unique know-how. With ultramodern machinery and a well-trained and skilled workforce from various specialist fields, we develop and manufacture at our headquarters on the outskirts of Munich. All of our lights are designed and produced in Germany and dispatched from our headquarters.
Quality can be expressed in numbers and dates. In 75 years we have created and accomplished a huge amount. We have held hundreds of thousands of talks and equally as many consultations. We have had tens of thousands of meetings in which customer wishes and product improvements were considered. And we have equipped ten thousand doctors, practices vet clinics and hospitals with modern lights – on all of the earth’s continents, including Antarctica.
A reliable visual examination is often the basis for a sound diagnosis. The accurate recognition of structure and colour during diagnosis is conditional on having perfect illumination. The ability to distinguish the subtlest colour nuances and recognise detailed structures and changes is always a matter of having the correct light. Optimal lighting thus plays a key role as a work tool.
Who would know this better than Dr. Mach? For decades we have dedicated ourselves to providing vets & doctors with the perfect light. To this end, we have developed numerous different lights that meet the most exacting medical demands. Easy to handle, with a wide range of functions and absolutely reliable.
With an examination light from Dr. Mach you are able to concentrate on what is essential using your knowledge to maintain the health of your patients.
At home all over the world. In over 100 countries and on all continents, Dr. Mach OT-lights are synonymous with exceptional quality, reliability and engineering excellence. Together with our partner distribution networks, we sell and maintain Dr. Mach medical lights for doctors from all spheres. For decades our name has stood for. Made in Germany – used all over the world.
Contact us today at H.E Technical Services for more information & details of our Examination and Theatre Lights.
PH: 03 9775 0557
Contact: Manfred or Steele Von Hoff
Email: info@het.com.au
Vet Nurse triage service for Veterinary Practices
Delivering a professional after hours (or anytime) service to your pet owners just got easier. Divert your calls to the vet nurse triage service trusted by practices across Australia and New Zealand.
Why VetCheck 24/7 is the one to choose?
With VetCheck 24/7 you have a professional team of over 60 qualified and experienced vet nurses ready to take calls on your behalf, day or night. They have experience in all species including large and farm animals, wildlife, exotics and small companion animals.
They will triage your clients needs and resolve the issue themselves if possible. If the advice of a vet is required, they will book a Medechat video consultation with one of our qualified and experienced VetCheck veterinary professionals. If it is a true emergency, they will contact your on-call vet or refer your client to your preferred emergency clinic.
We can even take payment on your behalf before your on-call vet attends so they don’t have the stress of discussing payment with an emotional pet owner. It also ensures that you get paid.
Your pet owners will benefit from being able to access free advice after hours from our vet nurses and will only incur a cost if vet advice is actually needed.
How does it work?
Diverting your calls to VetCheck 24/7 means that your clients are always calling your practice.
We have found that on average 70% of calls can be dealt with immediately by our vet nurses reassuring pet owners until they can be seen at your clinic the next day
10% of the time we find a Medechat tele-health consult with one of our team is appropriate (so your on-call vet can rest!). In these instances we charge the pet owner directly. If desired, these can be by your own vets (at whatever fee you’d like to charge your client).
20% of the time it is a genuine emergency where we take custom instruction from your clinic as to how best to get the pet seen.
If instructed to contact your on-call vet, it will always be the nurse calling, not the pet owner, along with the triage information gathered. Where your vets are stuck in surgery or out on call (calving etc) all our nurses will be aware so we can assist in resource management as well.
We can also charge call out fees on your behalf before your on-call vet attends. This could be all the time or just new clients or if instructed by the vet on call.
In all instances an email is sent through with a call log detailing who called, their contact details, reason for the call, recommendations and outcomes so you can follow up with your client the following day and continue with their pets care. With the vet consults there are full HEAP/SOAP notes available immediately after the consultation has ended.
Every month, you will be sent a summary so you can see how many calls the team have taken for you and what the results of the calls were.
Call 1300 361 469 or go to www.vetcheck247.com.au
As the veterinary industry faces increasing levels of consolidation, it’s important to be aware of ownership of practices, as it can factor in to decisions about job applications. Some ‘independently owned’ practices are starting to promote this as an attractive option to job applicants, and new graduates are faced with a barrage of promotion from the major consolidators, who are able to offer attractive graduate training packages.
Around 60% of veterinary practices in the U.K. are owned by six large consolidators, according to the CMA (the UK Competition and Markets Authority). The CMA has identified six large corporate groups (CVS, IVC Evidensia, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home, VetPartners) owning veterinary practices, including three that are owned by private equity firms. After an initial review in September 2023, The CMA has reached a provisional decision to open a formal market investigation.
In the United States, about 30% of general practices and 75% to 80% of specialty practices are owned by consolidators, together accounting for at least 50% of industrywide revenue, by the reckoning of Chicago-based Brakke Consulting.
Levels of ownership concentration in Australia are lower, though by how much is unclear. According to data compiled by IBISWorld in 2023, VetPartners controls some five per cent of the Australian veterinary industry compared with Greencross, which has a 6.1 per cent share. The remaining 88.9 per cent is split among the remaining operators, many of whom are single-practice businesses. Australian consolidators have also acquired veterinary education facilities, pet crematoria, pet stores, and pathology businesses.
Some of the major Australian consolidators at the moment are:
So how about New Zealand? Vet Clubs are being corporatized and clinics are also being consolidated, although it may not be as immediately obvious.
The Kookaburra Vet Employment Salary Survey in 2022 highlighted some differences between corporate and non-corporate practices, one of which was the ‘happiness’ scores (243 responses).
It’s to be hoped that as levels of consolidation increase, these companies take the crisis in veterinary mental health seriously, and implement measures to improve support and working conditions for all their employees.
Author:
Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment
This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.
