The Goulburn Valley runs from the Great Dividing Range to the Murray, follows the Goulburn River through Seymour, Nagambie and Shepparton, and is one of the most intensively farmed and irrigated parts of Australia. SMT Accounting is based in the middle of it, in Shepparton North, and acts as registered tax agent for farms, businesses and households across the region.
An economy built on water
Irrigation water from Lake Eildon and the Goulburn Weir is what turned the valley into fruit, dairy and cropping country, and the food industry still sets its rhythm. Orchards around Shepparton, Mooroopna and Ardmona supply the SPC cannery in Shepparton; dairy farms on the channels supply processors at Tatura, Kyabram and Cobram; and around them sit the irrigation contractors, transport companies, packing sheds, machinery dealers and agricultural suppliers that keep the farms running. The council describes Greater Shepparton as the food bowl of Australia and notes that traditional fruit and milk processing is now joined by vegetables, new fruit varieties and large-scale irrigated cropping. Add a major regional hospital, schools, the trades building new estates and a visitor economy on the Murray at Echuca, and you have a region whose tax work is more varied than most city suburbs.
The towns we serve
Each of these pages describes the local economy and the clients we typically see there:
- Shepparton, where our office is, including Shepparton North, Grahamvale and Shepparton East. See how to reach us.
- Mooroopna, across the causeway: orchards, seasonal workers and McLennan Street businesses.
- Kialla, Kialla West and Kialla Lakes: the growing southern suburbs of families, employees and subcontractors.
- Tatura: dairy, irrigation and milk processing.
- Echuca and Moama: tourism, transport and a state border through the middle of town.
- Benalla: grazing, cropping, manufacturing, health and the arts.
- Wangaratta, our north-eastern neighbour beyond the valley: a regional hospital, manufacturing and the King Valley wine country.
Kyabram, Seymour, Nagambie, Yarrawonga, Cobram, Numurkah and the smaller towns between them are served in exactly the same way.
What makes regional clients different
A city practice can go years without seeing a primary production return. Here it is routine, and three things come up constantly:
- Primary production. Farm income rarely arrives evenly, so income averaging, Farm Management Deposits, livestock trading accounts, water entitlements held and traded as capital gains tax assets, fuel tax credits and the immediate write-off of fencing, water facilities and fodder storage are everyday work. Our agriculture and horticulture page cites the ATO rule behind each.
- Seasonal workers. Picking and packing crews bring payroll questions for growers (Single Touch Payroll, super on every payday from 1 July 2026, working holiday maker withholding) and individual returns for workers with several employers, part-year residency or a visa that changes their tax rate.
- The Echuca–Moama border. Federal taxes are identical on both banks of the Murray, but payroll tax, land tax, stamp duty and workers' compensation are state schemes. A business with staff in both states, or a family with property on each side, needs each item allocated to the right state.
How a regional practice works Australia-wide
Two things make distance irrelevant. The first is the ATO: once you nominate us as your agent, we see your income statements, instalments, lodgement history and account balance directly, wherever you are. The second is how we work. Documents arrive by WhatsApp photo, secure upload or bank feed, we talk by phone or video, and engagement letters and returns are signed electronically. The office at 53 Mootwingee Crescent, Shepparton North is there for anyone who wants a face-to-face meeting, by appointment, but clients in Melbourne, interstate and overseas receive the same service from the same two people: Sohail Yasin (CPA, registered tax agent) and Syed Shah (IPA member, registered tax agent).
Services across the valley
- Individual tax returns for employees, seasonal workers, investors and retirees.
- Business and company tax for farming partnerships, family trusts and companies.
- BAS, GST and IAS, including fuel tax credits where the use qualifies.
- Bookkeeping and payroll with STP for growers, processors and trades with staff.
- Tax planning before 30 June, when a good season or a farm sale is coming.
- SMSF administration for families holding farmland or business premises in super.
Frequently asked
Which towns do you cover?
Our office is in Shepparton North and we work with clients throughout the Goulburn Valley, including Mooroopna, Kialla, Tatura, Kyabram, Echuca and Moama, Benalla, Seymour, Nagambie and Yarrawonga, as well as Wangaratta to the north-east. Because the work is done by phone, WhatsApp, email and video, distance from the office makes no practical difference.
Do you understand farm tax, or just business tax?
Primary production is a core part of the practice. Income averaging, Farm Management Deposits, livestock valuation, the treatment of water entitlements, fuel tax credits and the immediate deductions for fencing, water facilities and fodder storage come up every year with orchard, dairy and cropping clients.
I'm in Moama, on the New South Wales side. Can a Victorian accountant act for me?
Yes. Registered tax agents are registered nationally, and income tax, GST and superannuation are federal. Where state rules differ, such as payroll tax, land tax and stamp duty, we identify which state's rules apply to each part of your affairs.
What if I move away from the region?
Nothing changes. We already act for clients in other states who started with us in the valley, and the ATO's systems are the same wherever you live. You keep the same two accountants and the same phone number.