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4. The profit of my sole-proprietorship business was assessed at $460,000. My wife received a monthly rent of $10,000 from a property under mortgage. She paid mortgage interest of $56,000 during the year. How is Personal Assessment applied to a married couple?

(Note: The following calculation is based on the tax rates for the year of assessment 2014/15.)

 

Tax payable under Personal Assessment

$

Your business profits

460,000

Your wife's property income:

$

Net assessable value ($10,000 x 12 x 80%)

96,000

 

Less: Mortgage interest

(56,000)

40,000

Chargeable income

500,000

Less: Married person's allowance

(240,000)

Net chargeable income

260,000

Tax thereon (at progressive rate)

32,200

Less: 75% tax reduction (capped at $20,000) (Note)

20,000

Tax payable

12,200

 

Your share of tax payable

 

($12,200 x 460,000 / 500,000)

11,224

 

Your wife's share of tax payable

 

($12,200 x 40,000 / 500,000)

976

You and your wife will each receive notice of assessment and a demand for payment.

 

Separate taxation for husband and wife is not applicable under Personal Assessment. The total income of an individual, as appropriately reduced, will be aggregated with that of his/her spouse to arrive at the joint total income of the couple for assessment purposes. Normally, the tax payable on the Joint Assessment is proportionally allocated to the husband and the wife on the basis of their respective reduced total income, and a notice of assessment will be issued to each of them.

 

(Note) For 2014/15, 75% of the final tax payable under profits tax, salaries tax and tax under personal assessment would be waived, subject to a ceiling of $20,000 per case.