John Morgan is a tax specialist lawyer of more than three decades experience now practicing at the Victorian Bar - w: www.FJMtax.com e: f.john.morgan@vicbar.com.au

ATOIDs – Capital Allowances, undeducted construction expenditure, related party non-commercial limited recourse borrowing [39]

The ATO on Fri 12.12.2014 released the following IDs: ATO ID 2014/37: Capital Allowances: capital works – construction expenditure – costs to build temporary roads and restoration costs; ATO ID 2014/38: Capital Works: undeducted construction expenditure – period where no capital works deduction is available; ATO ID 2014/39: Income Tax: non-arm’s length income – related…

Class Rulings: capital reallocation, demerger, early retirement scheme, rollover [37]

The ATO on Wed 10.12.2014, issued the following Class Rulings: CR 2014/98: Ardent Leisure Group (ALG) Capital Reallocation; CR 2014/99: Demerger of Jacana Minerals Limited by Syrah Resources Limited; CR 2014/100: The University of Western Australia 2014-15 Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme; and CR 2014/101: Unit for unit roll over: exchange of retail units in LHP Diversified…

TD 2014/22-24 – Consolidation, rights to future income and residual tax cost setting rules [34]

The ATO on 17.12.2014, released Taxation Determinations TD 2014/22, TD 2014/23 & TR 2014/24 on the consolidation changes introduced by Pt 4 Sch 3 of the Tax Laws Amendment (2012 Measures No 2) Act 2012 (rights to future income (RTFI) and residual tax cost setting rules), which are relevant in ascertaining whether the pre-rules, interim rules, or prospective rules…

*TD 2014/25-28 & GSTR 2014/3 – Bitcoin – income tax; CGT, trading stock, foreign currency; GST and FBT treatment [33]

The ATO on Wed 17.12.2014, issued the following Taxation Determinations: TD 2014/25 – It states that Bitcoin is not a “foreign currency” for the purposes of Div 775 of the ITAA 1997. TD 2014/26 – It says that Bitcoin is a “CGT asset” for the purposes of s 108-5(1) of the ITAA 1997. TD 2014/27 – It indicates that when held for the purpose…

*TD 2014/21 – Interest in shares requiring shareholder approval are not “indeterminate rights” for employee share scheme purposes [32]

This TD issued on Wed 3.12.2014, states that where a right to acquire a beneficial interest in a share is granted subject to shareholder approval and an employee acquires only a right to have the matter put to the shareholders and nothing more, that right is not an “indeterminate right” within the meaning of s 83A-340(1)…

*TR 2014/7 – Foreign Income Tax Offset (FITO): source of hedging transactions – source of hedging transactions for the purpose of the s770-75 FITO limit [30]

This Ruling, released on Wed 10.12.2014, deals with the application of s770-75 of the ITAA 1997 (foreign income tax offset (FITO) limit) to an Australian resident taxpayer deriving gains and losses from foreign currency hedging transactions undertaken to mitigate the foreign currency fluctuation risk attached to the market value of a portfolio of assets. Broadly,…