The Voice Between Silence.

A WOMAN SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SHRINK TO BE LOVED. MARRIAGE MUST HOLD SPACE FOR HER GROWTH, NOT SILENCE HER IDENTITY.” HARVINDER JAIN, AUTHOR.

By Roshika Chand

I’ve always believed that when you understand your purpose and your “why,” the One above aligns you with the right people at the right time.A warm evening in January this year I was invited to a book launch, arriving with curiosity, not knowing what the evening would hold. What unfolded was a story, both beautiful and thought-provoking, that stirred something deeply familiar within me. For me, it wasn’t about marriage itself, but what it can represent in culture: the quiet shaping and at times, silencing of a woman’s voice and identity.

There were moments growing up where silence seemed to be the safer language, where certain parts of me were gently guided to be quieter, softer, less seen. But something within me never quite learnt that dialect. It questioned, it felt, it remained. And perhaps that quiet defiance was never resistance but a calling. A calling to one day to give voice to what often goes unspoken.

In Wifed in India, Harvinder Jain captures a journey that echoes what many of us have witnessed or experienced. The story explores the complexities of marriage within traditional expectations. Where identity, sacrifice, and societal pressure often intertwine. It reveals the tension between personal desires and the cultural role of being a “wife,” while gently unfolding themes of emotional struggle, resilience, and self-discovery.

More than a narrative, the book invites reflection. It brings awareness to evolving gender roles and challenges long-held norms, ultimately reminding us that every woman deserves the space to find her voice within or beyond marriage.

For me, this wasn’t just a book launch. It was a moment of alignment. A reminder that the stories we are drawn to are often the ones we are meant to tell.
Interview with Harvinder Jain Author of Wifed in India

1. What inspired you to write Wifed in India? Was there a personal moment or experience that sparked the story?
Wifed in India is deeply inspired by my lived experiences after marriage. I married outside my
religion, caste, and socio-economic background, and suddenly found myself navigating a completely new social ecosystem.

The unspoken hierarchies, unfamiliar rituals, and subtle expectations were very different from the secular, disciplined environment I grew up in as the daughter of an Army officer.
What struck me the most was how little preparation women receive for navigating these complex social dynamics. We are educated for careers, but rarely taught how to navigate the emotional, cultural, and relational fabric of marriage.

That realisation became the seed of Wifed in India. It also led me to explore what I now call Relationship Intelligence, the ability to understand relational dynamics while remaining
authentic to oneself.

2. The title is very powerful. What does “Wifed” mean to you, and what message were you hoping readers would take from it?
“Wifed” represents a transition. The moment when a woman moves from being an individual to being defined through a role.
In many cultures, especially in South Asia, marriage can quietly reshape a woman’s identity.

Expectations around behaviour, loyalty, duty, and sacrifice suddenly expand.
The word “Wifed” captures that moment of transformation, sometimes empowering, sometimes confusing, and sometimes deeply challenging.
CONTD. ON PG 20
CONTD. ON PG 19

Through the title, I wanted readers to reflect on an important question:
Can a woman remain authentic to herself while honouring the role of a wife?

3. Many women may relate to the themes in your book. What conversations do you hope this story opens in society?
I hope the book opens a deeper conversation about marriage in modern society.
For a long time, women have been told that endurance and sacrifice are the greatest virtues of a wife. I want to gently challenge that stereotype.
With changing economic realities and evolving social roles, we must redefine the role of a wife at a societal level as well in a way that holds space for her to grow as an individual and refine herself while proudly pursuing her skills and aspirations.

This is where Relationship Intelligence becomes important, the ability to navigate emotional dynamics, cultural expectations, and personal identity within relationships.
Through Wifed in India, I hope people begin discussing marriage not as a fixed cultural script, but as a relationship that requires awareness, empathy, and mutual growth.

4. What was the most emotional or challenging part of writing this book for you?
The most challenging part was revisiting the emotional moments that shaped the journey.
Writing requires honesty, and sometimes that means returning to experiences that were confusing or painful at the time.

But I also realised that those moments were not just my story, they reflected struggles many women quietly go through.
Transforming those experiences into something meaningful for readers was both emotional and deeply fulfilling.

5. What do you hope readers feel or reflect on after finishing Wifed in India?
I hope readers feel seen and understood.
Many women believe their struggles in marriage are personal failures, when in reality, they are navigating complex cultural and relational systems.
If readers finish the book with a deeper awareness of themselves and their relationships and begin developing Relationship Intelligence in their own lives, then the book has served its purpose.

Final Note to your readers Harvinder…If you could say one thing directly to women who may see parts of themselves in your story, what would it be?
You are not alone.

Your voice, your identity, and your dreams do not disappear after marriage, they evolve.
The real journey is not choosing between love and authenticity. The real journey is learning
how to find alignment between the two in a way that supports your aspirations in life.
Story by Roshika Chand

Coffee Time – Tax Update for Business Owners

Saving tax probably won’t let you retire at 45. It probably won’t make you a millionaire. It might, at best, upgrade you from a regular latte to the one with oat milk and a fancy sprinkle of cinnamon.
But none of that matters — because paying tax still feels like voluntarily donating your wallet to the Government. So grab your coffee and let’s make tax at least mildly entertaining.
—–
$20,000 Instant Asset Write-Off… Still Not Dead

Surprise surprise – the Governement has extended a tax rule they kept saying is “temporary.”
The instant asset write off started 1 July 2023 and was meant to end on 30 June 2024.
Yet here we are in March 2026 being told it will be extended to 30 June 2026!
If your business has aggregated turnover under $10 million, you can immediately deduct the business portion of eligible assets costing less than $20,000.

A few key points (before you impulse-buy something shiny):
• Asset must be first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.
• The $20,000 limit applies per asset — meaning multiple assets can be written off.
• It applies to both new and second-hand assets.
• Some exclusions apply — so perhaps call us before converting your “tax strategy” into a Louis Vuitton handbag.
Remember: it’s a deduction, not a 100% rebate. The ATO is not buying you a jet ski.
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Businesses Using Cash to Dodge Obligations

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is “cracking down” on businesses that treat cash like an invisibility cloak.
The usual red flags include:
• Not reporting all sales and skipping receipts.
• Avoiding GST, income tax, PAYG withholding, super guarantee, insurance and workers’ compensation.
• Magically reporting income just under the $75,000 GST threshold.
• Underpaying workers or ignoring award conditions.
• Undercutting honest businesses by offering “cash-only discounts.”

Workers paid “cash-in-hand” often lose out on super, protections, and coverage if injured.
In short: if your business model relies on pretending it’s 1987 and EFTPOS doesn’t exist, the ATO would like a word.
You’ve been warned.
—–
Contractors and Selective Memory

If you ever chat to the ATO, they’ll tell you contractors sometimes develop convenient tax-time amnesia.
Through data matching, the ATO can see payments made to contractors — even if the contractor “forgets” to declare them.

Industries that routinely report subcontractor payments include:
• Building and construction
• Courier services
• Cleaning
• Information technology
• Road freight
• Security and surveillance

So when a contractor declares suspiciously low income, the ATO’s systems politely whisper, “That’s interesting…”
The cure for ATO-induced amnesia? Audits, interest, and large fines. Highly effective. Very uncomfortable.
—–
Government Payment Programs

If you receive government payments for delivering services under Commonwealth programs (healthcare, disability support, childcare etc.), the ATO is watching closely.

This includes payments such as:
• Aged Care subsidies
• Income under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
The ATO has updated its Government Payments Program data-matching protocol and has been contacting taxpayers and agents to ensure income is correctly reported.
Obligations are simple:
• Keep accurate records.
• Report all income received.
“Oops, I didn’t realise that counted” is not a recognised accounting method.
—–
Check Your GST Credits Before Lodging BAS

If you’re registered for GST, you can claim input tax credits on business purchases.
But:
• If something is partly private use, you must apportion it.
• No tax invoice? Don’t claim.
• Cancelled or reversed purchase? Don’t claim either.
• No GST in the price (e.g., bank fees)? Definitely don’t claim.

Example: If you buy a car for ride-sourcing (say driving for Uber), you can only claim GST credits on the business-use percentage.
And even if you have nothing to report — you must still lodge a nil BAS on time.
Remember – silence is not a lodgment strategy.
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$61,000 of “Work-Related” Expenses… Really?

A recent case before the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) is a masterclass in what not to do.
A full-time engineer working from home two days per week claimed over $61,000 (!) in deductions in one year. This included:
• Car expenses
• Travel expenses
• Clothing
• Home office costs
The ATO disallowed most of it. The ART agreed.
Why?
Because the evidence didn’t stack up.

For example:
• Logbook entries didn’t match independent records (hard to be “driving to Melbourne” when your car is getting a gearbox replaced in Sandgate, QLD) or you are in Rockhampton but at the same time passing through the tolls on Gateway Motorway
• Ride-share receipts lacked dates, times, and destinations.
• Home office claims were estimates without proper supporting documents.
The ART was not convinced the apportionment was fair or reasonable.
In short:
• Claims must make sense.
• Documents must support them.
• Records must not contradict reality.
• And $61,000 in work-related expenses for a salaried engineer was…lets be honest…. A bit optimistic.
Never assume the ATO is foolish. More often than not, it’s the taxpayer who ends up looking foolish — and considerably poorer.
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Final Sip
Disclaimer (Because Lawyers Make Us):

This has been your dose of ATO and taxes bureaucratic drama and financial soap opera.
Look, we’ve done our best to make this info helpful, accurate, and only mildly boring. But don’t go quitting your business, selling your house, or launching a crypto empire based solely on what you’ve read here. This is general advice – not a personalised financial horoscope.

If you’re thinking of acting on any of it, please chat to a real-life professional (preferably one who’s qualified, not just good at Monopoly or one that sits in the pub). Professionals can help make sure the advice actually fits your situation and doesn’t end in a surprise ATO love letter.

And if you are silly enough not to speak to me or a professional don’t think that somehow we are responsible for your silliness.

Holy Moley…. What Happening 

How to Work Less, Earn More & Create Outstanding Wealth

THERE’S EVEN MORE WHEN IT COMES TO THE STOCK MARKET. YOU SEE THE STOCK MARKET SEEMED A BIT HOT WITH SOME LARGE AND UNREALISTIC VALUES, SO A CORRECTION HAD ALREADY STARTED.

It seems every so often Trumpie decides that the world is too calm and needs a bit of excitement.Normally his weapon of choice is tariffs, and he lobs them about like confetti at a happy wedding. Except there is no happy wedding. Just confusion and uncertainty. More divorce than wedding come to think of it.

Anyway, tariffs, cause havoc when it comes to the stock market which results in massive drops in investments. That then make you and me very unhappy. If you are retired or near retirement it also becomes a bit scary as you see your superfund balances blow up.
But this time he has decided that tariffs won’t work when it comes to Iran because, well, Iran doesn’t sell the US anything. And despite US efforts to try to get the world not to buy from Iran they have failed. Miserably.

In December alone Iran exported 1.9 Billion barrels of oil mostly to China, India and Europe.So, what to do? The only thing he can do – bomb them into surrender and take over the oil supply. He will tell you it’s about nuclear weapons and Iran’s instability and so a regime change is required. I’m not so sure.

It’s about oil and he believes bombing is the route he needs to take to get it.
First a bit of history. The western world is terrible when it comes to regime change. That’s because they have no idea who will take over once the guns have stopped. Think Libya. Then Iraq. They stuck a pole up Saddam Hussain and then what happened?

The country fell apart. We stormed into Afghanistan got rid of the Taliban and now look who runs it. Yes, you guessed – the Taliban. In Africa and Pakistan, they work out beforehand that before you decapitate the leader you need a new leader in waiting. The West don’t do that.

Then you have Trump’s ego. He went into Venezuela and they all immediately dropped to their knees and gave up the oil supply agreed to live as slaves. And that made Trump feel he was invincible. Except he is not because the Iranians are not Venezuelans. They are made of stronger stuff.

So, when Trump says he will kill all Iranians they shrug their shoulders and say ‘We don’t care if you kill us but we are going to do make your life hell.’
And that what makes this war different. You cannot negotiate with those willing to die for their cause.

And because America thought it would be easy, they never thought about what happens it if gets hard.Iran has decided it will blast any oil tanker to smithereens they can which means gas and oil cannot leave what is known as the Strait of Hormuz. This then is a catastrophe. And this catastrophe will result in higher aviation fuel and more importantly what we pay for our petrol and diesel. And before all the people with Electric Vehicles start feeling a bit smug, electricity prices will go up too. It’s already started to happen.

And that’s a catastrophe too because higher fuel prices will result in higher inflation which will result in higher interest rates which means higher mortgage payments which then means your pocket is now empty. Not good news.

There’s an additional problem. Stock markets hate bombs as much as they hate tariffs.
So, there are lots of people wailing and running around the room with their arms in the air thinking the world is going to end. All this wailing and gnashing of teeth results in the stock market going bananas and bonkers. Economists become a bit anxious too.

There’s even more when it comes to the stock market. You see the stock market seemed a bit hot with some large and unrealistic values, so a correction had already started.
Last couple of weeks? My portfolio has been a sea of red. Holy Moley it was depressing with falls all over the world as panic selling of stocks saw massive losses across the board.

My kids who keep an eye on their investments saw drops they are not usually used to seeing and feared their house deposits were about to become a McDonalds meal.
Whenever the global political situation becomes unstable everyone fears the worse. They think house prices will collapse, or the entire world will go into recession that will last forever.

So, if you are in that scary space should you really be scared?

Honest answer? I haven’t got the foggiest. Asking me to predict the future is suggesting I have the powers of God. And although I will tell you I am a genius I draw the line at being omnipresent. Or a fortune teller.
One thing I can tell you. If oil prices remain high, we are going to have a problem. A big one.

But here is another thing what I can tell you. History suggests that this scary financial time will even out and become calm.
Think of the Ukraine war. When it started, world stock markets went into meltdown and lead times for supplies became stupid. Oil process went nuts then too. But markets worldwide recovered and went up. When tariffs were announced? Same thing. Recovery and then all-time highs.

Below is a graph of the Australian stock market from 1900 to 2020 which I have extracted from my book The Passport to Wealth and Real Financial Freedom for Business Owners.