BACKPACKING – AUSTRALIA

Court says backpacker tax is discriminatory

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 31-Oct-19

Arnold Bloch Leibler partner Clint Harding says some backpackers could be entitled to tax refunds after a landmark court ruling on the federal government’s tax on the earnings of working holidaymakers. The Federal Court’s Justice John Logan has ruled that the backpacker tax breaches non-discrimination clause in Australia’s tax treaties with eight countries, including the UK, the US, Germany and Japan. The Australian Taxation Office may appeal the ruling.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, TAXBACK.COM

Migrant workers robbed of $1bn

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 3 : 29-Oct-18

Backpackers and international students are owed more than $1 billion in unpaid wages, according to a study to be released on 29 October. However, only nine per cent of them make an effort to recover their wages. Just three per cent took their case to the Fair Work Commission, but 58 per cent of that group did not recovery any money. The report makes a number of recommendations, including setting up a specific team to assist with migrant workers’ questions and making changes to the Fair Work Ombudsman’s processes

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

Tourism slams departure tax slug

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 28-Sep-16

Treasurer Scott Morrison says reducing the proposed backpacker tax from 32.25 per cent to 19 per cent will enhance Australia’s ability to compete with other countries that are popular with people on working holidays. The Federal Government will also reduce the application fee for working holiday visas in a bid to arrest a decline in such visas in recent years. The Tourism & Transport Forum has welcomed the move to reduce the backpacker tax, but it has criticised a proposed $A5 increase in the departure tax on outbound travellers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, TTF AUSTRALIA LIMITED TOURISM AND TRANSPORT FORUM, TOURISM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA