GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST) – AUSTRALIA

Tax office wins fight over GST on scrap gold

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Jul-19

The Australian Taxation Office has secured an important legal victory in its ongoing battle to withhold tax credits that were allegedly wrongfully claimed under a GST gold swindle. Deputy commissioner Jeremy Geale says the significance of its latest win in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal is that it was against a gold refiner, whereas the previous wins have been against gold dealers or scrap merchants. It is claimed that the swindle has cost federal Treasury over $1 billion.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Banks in GST war with ATO

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Jan-19

The Australian Taxation Office wants to cut the amount of goods and services tax credits that banks and other financial institutions claim for providing home loans, credit cards and transactional accounts. Experts suggest that the ATO’s clampdown could cost each of the big banks between $60 million and $80 million a year, while bank executives acknowledge that it will be very difficult for them to pass on any higher tax costs to customers, given the current poor reputation of the banking sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION

Morrison’s $9bn GST fix facing Labor, states revolt

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Original article by Andrew Burrell, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 4-Oct-18

The federal government’s proposed changes to the formula for distributing goods and services tax revenue was rejected by the majority of state treasurers at a meeting on 3 October. The reforms had the support of Western Australia’s Treasurer Ben Wyatt, but other state treasurers warned that the Coalition must guarantee that no state or territory will be worse off. Federal Labor also opposes the GST reforms, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will take the GST policy to the next election if it is blocked in parliament.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, QUEENSLAND. TREASURY, TASMANIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

PM stares down states over GST compensation

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 3-Oct-18

Proposed changes to the formula for the distribution of goods and services tax revenue will head the agenda of a meeting of the federal and state treasurers on 3 October. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has given assurances that no state will worse off, but the eastern states are concerned that the GST reforms favour Western Australia and that they will lose more in revenue than the federal government has proposed to offer by way of compensation. Morrison has indicated that he will legislate to make the changes even if the reforms are not supported by the eastern states.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

PM to sandbag seats with GST overhaul

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Oct-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is poised to announce plans for changes to the formula for distributing goods and services tax revenue. The legislation, which would provide the states and territories with an additional $7.2bn in funding, is expected to be put forward during the next session of Parliament. The changes will benefit Western Australia in particular, where the Liberal Party is in danger of losing up to five seats at the next federal election. The proposed changes will include the introduction of a GST floor of $0.70 in the dollar from 2022-23, which will increase to $0.75 in 2024-25.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Dutton’s $7.5b GST idea a budget blower

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 23-Aug-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison have criticised a proposal by Peter Dutton to reduce the cost of electricity by exempting household power bills from the goods and services tax. Turnbull has warned that the states would have to be compensated for loss of GST revenue, while Morrison says it would result in a Budget blowout. Dutton has also proposed royal commissions into the electricity and fuel sectors, as well a reduction in Australia’s annual migrant intake.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

$7bn GST top-up to win states

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Jul-18

The Federal Government proposes to introduce a new model for the distribution of goods and services tax revenue which aims to ensure that no state territory will be disadvantaged. The reforms include the introduction of a GST floor, which will ensure that each state receives a minimum of $0.70 per person for each dollar of GST revenue from 2022. This will rise to $0.75 in 2024. The Government will also provide a funding boost totalling $A7bn to compensate states and territories for any loss of revenue during the six-year transition phase.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

GST crackdown looms for online sales

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Original article by Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 7 : 28-Jun-18

The goods and services tax will apply to purchases of up to $A1,000 via overseas-based online marketplaces from 1 July. The Australian Taxation Office has signalled that it will use all of the tools at its disposal to ensure that multinational e-commerce groups comply with the new GST rules, including targeted audits and financial penalties. The ATO’s Tim Dyce says that about 3,200 international online marketplaces will have to be registered to collect and remit GST when the changes take effect.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

GST stoush looms ahead of byelections

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 31-May-18

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison recently received the Productivity Commission’s final report on changes to the distribution of goods and services tax revenue. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told parliament that the report will be released prior to the five upcoming by-elections in late July. He also said the government will take its time in formulating a response to the report’s recommendations, and stressed that no state or territory will be disadvantaged by any changes to the GST system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE

Developers warned about GST trap on unsold units

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Original article by Duncan Hughes
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 15-May-18

Tax adviser Ken Fehily has urged property developers who rent out newly-completed apartments because they are struggling to sell them to be mindful of their goods and services tax liabilities. He says developers in this situation could be triggering GST liabilities without being aware of it, and that they will certainly have to pay the full GST when they eventually sell the apartment. Capital Economics expects Melbourne apartment prices to fall by nine per cent in 2018, while Sydney apartment prices are tipped to decline by four per cent.

CORPORATES
CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, FEHILY ADVISORY