Tax on savings

22 Oct, 2009 - 1 min read

Every Australian is lumped with a tax on savings they deposit into a bank. Tax must be paid on any interest earned, not the amount deposited. In fact, the effective tax rate (considering inflation) on cash deposited into a bank is about 50 percent for people with a middle income, according to the Federal Treasury Secretary, Ken Henry. This is why it is so important to shop around for savings accounts that earn the highest interest rates with the lowest fees.

Savers could be rewarded, following the Henry Tax Review. One of the aims of the review is to have a fairer balance on the tax on savings, as deposit accounts comprise the heaviest burden for taxes. This is good news for savers and will mean that earning the highest interest rate on the market will leave more money in your pocket after your tax on savings.

Refer to our savings accounts guide for up-to-date information and the table to the right for a list of some of today’s best online savings accounts.

Disclaimer

This article is over two years old, last updated on October 22, 2009. While RateCity makes best efforts to update every important article regularly, the information in this piece may not be as relevant as it once was. Alternatively, please consider checking recent savings accounts articles.

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