Speeding fines

The Top Stories This Week From A Young Australian’s Perspective.      1. Tax Time is Here What does this mean for young Australians? As the cost of living keeps skyrocketing with no end in sight, you might be keen to lodge your tax return as soon as possible so that you can get your hands on your tax returns. However, the ATO has urged Australians to hold off submitting your tax returns until later this month. This is because people are more likely to make simple mistakes or miss crucial information if you submit early. This is because all your income information needs to be filled out accurately. For most Australians, this means waiting until your income statement or payment summary has been done by your employer. This information usually arrives mid-July. Once the ATO has this information, it is automatically filled out for you when you lodge your tax return. So to avoid mistakes and missing information, the ATO recommends waiting until the end of July to submit your tax returns after this information has already been pre-filled. But just remember to submit your tax return by the 31st of October.        2. Queensland Increasing Fines For Seat Belts and Speeding What does this mean for young Australians? From July 1, Queenslanders who disobey road rules will be looking at significantly higher fines. These changes are part of the Queensland government’s new ten-year road safety strategy. The fine for being caught without a seatbelt has increased by 150%, from $413 to $1087. Running a red light will now cost you $575, up from $413. The fines for speeding have also increased, but the fine depends on how much you’re driving over the speed limit. So unless you’ve got a spare couple thousand of dollars lying around your house, make sure to follow the road rules. You can view the entire list of fines for traffic offences here.         3. Queensland will ban disposable coffee cups What does this mean for young Australians? Under a new five year plan under the Queensland government to reduce plastics, a lot more plastic products will no longer be available from September next year. The list of products include disposable coffee cups, polystyrene packing peanuts, plastic-stemmed cotton buds, bread tags, and sauce sachets. The mass release of balloons will also no longer be allowed. Queensland has already banned the use of plastic shopping bags back in 2018. While Queensland might be the first state to ban disposable coffee cups, you can probably expect the other states and territories to follow suit in the next couple of years as well. So be prepared to carry around your own coffee cups when you head to your favourite café