The OECD’s annual Revenue Statistics 2014 report, published on Wed 10.12.2014, found that the tax burden in Australia increased by 1 percentage point from 26.3% to 27.3% in 2012. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.3% to 33.7%. Since the year 2000, the report showed the…
The Treasurer Mon 8.12.2014 welcomed the appointment of Mr John Fraser to the position of Secretary to the Treasury. He said Mr Fraser brings deep experience in both the public sector and, most recently, in the private sector. As part of undertaking the new role, Mr Fraser will be asked to conduct a thorough review of…
The WA State Administrative Tribunal has partially allowed a couple’s (the taxpayers’) claim for the rural business land tax exemption under s 29 of the Land Tax Assessment Act 2002 (WA). The taxpayers are the joint owners of the subject land. One of the owners was at the relevant time using about 10% of that land…
The High Court on Wed 10.12.2014, unanimously allowed the Commissioner of State Revenue’s appeals from a decision of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria in Lend Lease Development Pty Ltd & Ors v Comr of State Revenue [2013] VSCA 207 [see report under ‘High Court’ above for a full report]. (Comr…
In a decision handed down on Mon 8.2.2014, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal affirmed a payroll tax assessment issued to the taxpayer for the 2009 financial year, but set aside the assessments issued for the 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 financial years. The taxpayer carried on a business of designing and branding dental surgeries…
The NSW Chief Commissioner of State Revenue has been successful before the Appeal Panel of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in a matter concerning the grouping of 3 taxpayers for NSW payroll tax purposes. The underlying dispute in the appeal concerned the Commissioner’s decision, in relation to financial years 2008 to 2012, not to…
In a decision handed down Tue 9.12.2014, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal affirmed land tax assessments issued to a taxpayer for the 2008 to 2012 land tax years after refusing the taxpayer’s claim for the principal place of residence (PPR) land tax exemption in respect of a property. The taxpayer owned the property located…
The Taxation Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 (WA) has passed the WA Legislative Council with amendments and will return to the Legislative Assembly for concurrence. It proposes to amend the Duties Act 2008 (WA), Land Tax Assessment Act 2002 (WA), Pay-roll Tax Assessment Act 2002 (WA), and Taxation Administration Act 2003 (WA), to improve the efficacy…
The Taxation Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2014 (Tas) and the Land Tax Rating Amendment Bill 2014 (Tas) on Tue 9.12.2014, received Royal Assent as Acts No 21 and 22 of 2014, respectively. They had passed all stages of the Tasmanian Parliament without amendment and amend the following Tasmanian Acts: the Duties Act 2001, the Land…
The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) has released the following proposed guidelines: Proposed Guideline TPB(PG) 04/2014 Course in Australian taxation law that is approved by the Board for tax (financial) advisers; and Proposed Guideline TPB(PG) 05/2014 Course in commercial law that is approved by the Board for tax (financial) advisers. The purpose of the information is…