Changes in the wind: increased tightening of taxpayers’ eligibility to CGT small business concessions
The application of the small business capital gains tax (CGT) concessions in Division 152 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (CGT Concessions) is an area of interest for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
ATO guidance on Capital/Revenue in property developments turns on subtle facts
On 9 July 2018, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) recently released the Draft Property and Construction Website Guidance (the Guidelines) providing guidance in relation to the ATO position on property development and whether relevant property is held by the taxpayer on capital or revenue account.
Beware of the Fork in the Road: Taxation and Cryptocurrency Chain Splits
The Federal Commissioner of Taxation (Commissioner) recently updated his guidelines on cryptocurrency and for the first time addressed the taxation of cryptocurrency acquired as the result of a chain split.
TD 2018/13 - a commercial transaction may not stop Division 7A
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) recently released Taxation Determination TD 2018/13 (TD 2018/13) confirming its view that the (often overlooked) interposed entity provisions in section 109T of Division 7A of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 can apply to ordinary commercial transactions.
Trusts, Income Tax, CGT And Foreign Residents
The rules for the taxation of trusts are complex and in need of reform. A point that has been made many times since Hill J observed in Davis v FCT1 that “the scheme of Division 6 calls out for legislative clarification, especially since the insertion into the Act of provisions taxing capital gains as assessable income”.
Sladen Snippet: Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) Changes
Draft Tax Determination on Trust Splitting far from determinative
On the Record: Substantiating Cryptocurrency Taxation Events
Sladen Snippet – Harding decision has been appealed
As reported in our earlier article on Harding v FCT [2018] FCA 837, the Federal Court ruled that the taxpayer who lived and worked in Bahrain was an Australian tax resident.
Sladen Snippet - Illegal Phoenix Activity – Modernising Business Registers and the new Phoenix Hotline
On 9 May 2018 we reported to you new initiatives regarding proposed laws targeting illegal phoenix activity (https://sladen.com.au/news/2018/5/9/sladen-snippet-proposed-laws-targeting-illegal-phoenix-activity) announced by the Federal Government in the 2018/2019 Budget. Consistent with the proposed measures announced under the budget, the Federal Government has now:
GST withholding: finalised ATO guidance does not even out the bumps
Corporate tax residency – tax ruling highlights the need for foreign companies to manage residency risk
Foreign companies that may be controlled by an Australian entity should review their key decision-making procedures following the newly issued Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Taxation Ruling, TR 2018/5 (TR 2018/5) which gives guidance on when the ATO could find a foreign company’s central management and control (CMC) is located in Australia.
The Cryptocurrency Boom – All That Glitters is Not Gold
Sladen Snippet - Government to consider individual tax residency rules
On 9 July 2018, in a Media Release, the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, announced the release of the self-initiated Board of Taxation report, dated August 2017, on a new tax residency model for individuals. Minister O’Dwyer requested further analysis and consideration on the key recommendations before the Government takes a position on this matter.
Sladen Snippet - Long service leave reform to Victorian legislation
Sladen Snippet - New ATO penalty relief for taxpayers
The Bitcoin Rush: A taxing issue for pioneers
The Federal Commissioner of Taxation (Commissioner) recently updated his guidelines on cryptocurrency addressing some of the many questions that have been raised. However, these guidelines offer little assistance for early adopters of cryptocurrency who find themselves in a unique position.
Sladen Snippet – super guarantee amnesty in limbo
The legislation to pass the government’s proposed amnesty for super guarantee has failed to pass the senate in the June 2018 sittings.
Sladen Snippet – ATO acknowledges transfer balance problem with market linked pensions
The ATO has released SMSF News Alert 2018/3 under which it acknowledges a defect in the transfer balance cap regime which can cause the debit on the commutation of a market linked pension (or life expectancy pension) to equal nil.