Should I purchase my second investment through LAQC?

Our Experts Answer:

You are correct, an LAQC is predominantly used for tax benefits. However, with a negatively geared property, even if it's owned under an LAQC, when you lose $1, you still only get back 33c in tax, assuming a 33% marginal tax rate, which means that you've lost 67c. So, if you can buy a property that would reduce the loss of the 67c, then I would say go for it and put it into your existing LAQC.

One point you may not have considered is that owning that property separately from your LAQC would also mean another lot of compliance costs, potentially doubling your accounting fees. By putting the new property into your existing LAQC, your accounting fees will increase a bit, but nowhere near double the cost of running two sets of accounts.