The Federal Government has passed a Bill that addresses the compensation of volunteer firefighters for the 2019/20 bushfires and those affected by the 2019/20 Australian bushfires.

Bushfire Tax Assistance

This payment is meant to compensate their loss of employment income when working with the State or Territory fire service during the 2019/20 year.

All payments made to people for bushfire support or as a volunteer firefighter will be non-assessable non-exempt income.

The payment for loss of income caps at $300 per day, with a total cap of $6,000 for the year. The payment is not means tested, and multiple applications for the payment is excepted, provided the annual cap of $6,000 has not been reached.

The payment is applied through each state or territory department which deals with the volunteer service. Some states and the territories have yet to implement it yet.

Source: CCH iknow

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