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Employee or contractor — SG and the right to delegate — Part 8

This is part 8 of our series of ‘employee versus contractor’ articles. Part 8 focuses the ATO’s decision impact statement (DIS) on the Full Federal Court (Full Court) in JMC Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [2023] FCAFC 76. (The other articles, parts 1-7, are linked under the Related Articles heading below.) Overview The DIS [read more]

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Merchant v Commissioner of Taxation [2024] AATA 1102 — Latest AAT decision on disqualification

A recent AAT decision demonstrates circumstances of a successful challenge to a disqualification made pursuant to s 126A of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) (SISA). The decision of Merchant v Commissioner of Taxation [2024] AATA 1102 also highlights the dangers of what may, at face value, seem like ordinary investments such as acquiring [read more]

Arms touching expenses

ATO guidance on managing trust distributions

Overview The taxation of trusts continues to be an area of scrutiny for the ATO. The ATO has released a webpage titled ‘Trust distributions done right’ that provides guidance to practitioners on how to prepare for year-end trust distributions. The webpage (QC 101752) can be found here. Clearly, the ATO is concerned with trustees and [read more]

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Employee or contractor – new changes to the Fair Work Act – Part 7

This is part 7 of our series of ‘employee versus contractor’ articles. Part 7 focuses on recent changes by the Federal Government to the definition of ‘employer’ and ‘employee’ in the context of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FWA). The other articles (parts 1-6) are linked under the Related Articles heading below. Overview The [read more]

Deed of trust

Does a change of trustee deed in NSW require registration?

Preparing a valid change of trustee deed can prove complex as, among other things, the governing rules of the trust or SMSF must be complied with, the correct parties must be made a party and the deed needs to be appropriately drafted. Moreover, in New South Wales (NSW), the question also arises –– whether a [read more]

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AAT decision on the assessable component (applicable fund earnings) of foreign super fund transfers

The AAT decision of Came and Commissioner of Taxation [2023] AATA 3951 highlights some complexities related to foreign superannuation fund transfers to Australian superannuation funds under the rules in sub-div 305-B of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) (ITAA 1997). Facts The taxpayer, Mr James Came, migrated from South Africa to Australia in 2004. [read more]

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Recent AFCA decision protects SMSF interests

A recent Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) decision highlights the consequences for financial advisers when they fail to meet their service obligations. Under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (CA) financial advisers are required to ‘act in the best interests of the client’ and ‘must only provide advice if it would be reasonable to conclude that [read more]

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Victoria’s new annual tax on commercial and industrial property from 1 July 2024

Overview A new commercial and industrial property (C&I Property) tax of 1% p.a. applies in Victoria from 1 July 2024. This new tax will be levied on the land’s unimproved value and is payable in addition to any land tax. Duty on the purchase of C&I Property will be phased out. This article reflects the guidance [read more]

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Vacant residential land tax — Q&A from recent DBA webinar

This question and answer sheet was prepared following a recent webinar on VRLT presented by DBA Lawyers. A number of queries were raised at this webinar. This Q&A is a summary of the key queries with brief answers. Naturally, we would be pleased to assist with any query. Q-1. Can VRLT be tax deductible? A-1. [read more]

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Family trust subject to surcharge land tax in NSW as deed did not exclude foreign persons

Overview Unless a discretionary trust deed excludes foreign persons, foreign trustees and foreign corporations, significant additional duty and land tax is typically imposed if the trust acquires residential property. The best way to minimise such tax is to make sure you obtain assistance from a quality supplier and obtain advice well in advance. Why did [read more]