Transfer to a trustee found to be non-dutiable

Transfer to a trustee found to be non-dutiable

The Victorian Court of Appeal’s decision in MD Commercial Pty Ltd v Commissioner of State Revenue [2019] VSCA 295 was a culmination of the battle between the Victorian Commissioner of State Revenue and the taxpayers’ statutory interpretation of a duty exemption contained in s 35 of the Duties Act 2000 (Vic) (Act) and whether the trustee had to be in a “bare trustee” relationship with no active powers being held by the trustee.

Trusts and the franking credits trap: can we fix it?

Trusts and the franking credits trap: can we fix it?

Beneficiaries of a unit trust may only claim franking credits if they are a “qualified person” in relation to the franked dividend. In order to be a qualified person the taxpayer must satisfy both the related payments rule and the holding period rule.

SMSF and Asset Protection from Creditor Claims

SMSF and Asset Protection from Creditor Claims

When most people think of self managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) they mostly think of a vehicle to provide retirement benefits and their concessional tax treatment. In contrast, the asset protection benefit provided by SMSFs is often not considered.

TD 2019/D6 and TD 2019/D7: (further) unintended consequences?

TD 2019/D6 and TD 2019/D7: (further) unintended consequences?

While consistent with recent ATO views, TD 2019/D6 and TD 2019/D7 provide minimal clarification on the taxation of Australian discretionary trusts distributing capital gains to foreign beneficiaries.

Super Death Benefits and Conflicts of Interest – The Latest Battleground

Super Death Benefits and Conflicts of Interest – The Latest Battleground

Challenging death benefit payments from superannuation funds has followed four broad categories over the years. Interestingly, they have developed in relatively discrete time periods.