New tax rules could encourage more accommodation options for Australians living with a disability and reduce the cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, according to a new report. Source: ABC News.
Amid concerns about group homes, revelations that hundreds of homes for people with a disability remain empty and government plans to reduce NDIS spending, the report by KPMG examined how to make Individualised Living Arrangements (ILAs) more accessible.
ILAs — also known as Independent Living Options (ILOs) — give people living with a disability more flexibility and choice about how they live. Under the program, a person with a disability lives in the home of a person who provides support or they live in their own home and a housemate provides support.
A Four Corners investigation found more than 1000 homes built for the profoundly disabled are sitting empty.
Some disability advocates believe ILAs provide a better living option than group homes. There have been multiple reports of abuse within group homes and some of the commissioners from the Disability Royal Commission in 2023 recommended the phasing out of group homes within 15 years.
Summer Foundation, which advocates for better housing and living options for people with a disability, asked KPMG to look at how to boost the number of people using ILAs.
Nearly 1500 NDIS participants claimed independent living option support last financial year, according to government data.
Alia Lum, the head of tax policy at KPMG, said the report recommended the Government simplify the tax treatment for live-in supporters.
Under the proposal, payments up to $65,000 would not be considered as part of a support person’s taxable income. It would only be available to live-in supporters who are approved.
The report will be launched at federal Parliament today and handed to multiple ministers.
FULL STORY
Calls to tweak tax rules to reduce NDIS costs and give participants more options (By Stephanie Borys, ABC News)
