Worsley v Tax Practitioners Board – Tax agent failed to comply with tax laws in relation to his own affairs for 3 years – registration terminated (though it doesn’t say for how long)

A tax agent who, among other breaches of the Code of Conduct, was late with lodging income tax returns and quarterly BASs has had his registration terminated. The TPB terminated the tax agent’s registration as it considered he was no longer a “fit and proper person”. The tax agent conceded that he had: failed to comply…

APRA issues Discussion Paper on measures to require RSEs to be prepared for member transfers into or out of their funds

On 10 November 2022, APRA issued a Media Release, announcing they will consult on their Discussion Paper, proposing a series of proposed enhancements to the prudential standards for superannuation trustees planning to transfer members out of – or into – their fund. Submissions in response to this discussion paper are requested to be provided to…

Debate on the ‘purpose’ of superannuation is really a stalking horse for reducing superannuation concessions if not capping fund size as well

A debate is raging over the definition of ‘superannuation’, and in particular whether it should contain any reference to the amount of superannuation or quality of life the superannuation should provide. This is as something of a stalking horse, for the Labor Government, to walk away from election commitments, and then impose quantitative limits on…

Latest 2019-20 ‘tax gaps’ published by ATO – how they are constructed, what they say and what they can teach us

On 31 October 2022, the ATO released its updated tax gap figures for the 2019–20 income year. The Tax Institute’s Tax Policy and Advocacy’s Associate: Abhishek Shekhawat, examines and explains these latest tax gap figures (in their weekly email to members: TaxVine #42, 11.11.22). Overview of the tax gaps The tax gaps are a yearly set of…

NSW Payroll Tax – E Group Security case – ‘UNSW Global’ principles for establishing the scope of the ’employment agency contract’ definition upheld in NSW Court of Appeal

On 6 July 2022, the Court of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court made an important decision in Chief Commissioner of State Revenue v E Group Security Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 115. The security industry commonly uses contractors to provide services to its clients. In the series of E Group Security cases, the courts considered whether payments to service providers met…

DIS on Decleah: ‘GST margin scheme’ valuations (of pre-GST land) nee only be determined by an ‘approved’ method (not be the ‘correct’ value)

The Commissioner has issued a draft Decision Impact Statement (‘DIS‘) on the GST margin scheme case of Decleah Investments Pty Ltd v CofT [2021] AATA 4821.  In that case, following the directions of the Federal Court, the AAT confirmed that the value assigned by a taxpayer for the purposes of the margin scheme was the result…

Australian Labor Budget (25.10.22) – ABUMs & DGR – AXED: TOFA changes; limited partnership CIVs; 3 yearly SMSF audit; $10k cash payments limit; no DGR for Chaplains – DEFERRED: SMSF relaxed residency – DGR for Indigenous constitutional recognition

Providing certainty on unlegislated tax and superannuation measures announced by the previous Government The Government announced that it will not proceed with the following ones of the previous Government’s ‘Announced But Un-enacted [tax and superannuation] Measures’ (ABUMs): The MYEFO 2013–14 measure that proposed to amend the debt/equity tax rules. The Federal Budget 2016–17 measure that…

Australian Labor Budget (25.10.22) – Tax Administration – added scrutiny: multinationals, large public businesses, private businesses, black economy, personal income tax, tax agents, business registers, directors identification numbers

Extend ATO compliance programs – Tax Avoidance Taskforce The Government will extend funding for the ATO Tax Avoidance Taskforce by around $200 million per year over a 4-year period from 1 July 2022. The Government will also extend the taskforce for a further year from 1 July 2025. Since 2016, the Government has provided the…

Australian Labor Budget (25.10.22) – International Tax – Thin cap (EBITDA); low tax intangibles; multinational transparency; crypto tax treatment; Iceland Treaty; Bhutan diplomatic exemptions

Multinational Tax Integrity Package – amending Australia’s interest limitation (thin capitalisation) rules The Government announced that it will amend the thin capitalisation rules to address risks to the corporate tax base arising from the use of excessive debt deductions. This measure will apply to income years commencing on or after 1 July 2023. The current…