Australia: Guidance on Anti-abuse rules in tax treaties
On 12 October 2020, Australian taxation office (ATO) release new guidance about the general anti-abuse rules in any of Australia's tax treaties has been finalized and published. Law Administration Practice Statement PS LA 2020/2 Administering
See MoreAustralia: Parliament approves Federal Budget for 2020-21
On 9 October 2020, Mr. Scott John Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia has issued a release announcing the approval of the Budget 2020-21 measures. On 6 October 2020, the Budget measures were included as part of the Treasury Laws Amendment
See MoreAustralia: ATO clarifying the operation of hybrid mismatch rules
Australia's hybrid mismatch rules have been updated with a number of technical amendments in order to clarify and improve the rules' operation. In the 2019–20 Budget on 2 April 2019, the Australian government announced the measure Tax
See MoreAustralia: ATO finalized guidance on the arm’s length debt test
On 12 August 2020, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) released its finalized practical guidance dealing with the application of the arm’s length debt test (ALDT) which applies as one of the options for determining deductibility of interest and
See MoreAustralia updates transfer pricing legislation in accordance with OECD guidelines
Australia's transfer pricing legislation has been updated to specify that it is to be interpreted to achieve consistency with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multinational
See MoreAustralia: Integrity rule law companion ruling finalized
In April 2019, Australian Taxation Office (ATO) released a draft Law Companion Ruling on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hybrid mismatch rules related to integrity rule. The ATO have now released draft LCR
See MoreAustralia reduces tax rates for small businesses
Mr. Josh Frydenberg, the Australian Treasurer has issued a joint release on the reduction of the corporate income tax rate for businesses with turnover of less than AUD 50 million. From July 1 2020, small and family businesses will be paying less
See MoreAustralia updates instructions for local file 2020
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) updated the instructions for local file. These instructions apply to the local file for 2020. This relates to reporting periods starting on or after 1 January 2019. According to the instructions, local file
See MoreAustralia: Guidance on the Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Transfer Pricing Arrangements
On 19 June 2020 the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) posted to its website guidance entitled COVID-19 economic impacts on transfer pricing arrangements. This sets out guidance for taxpayers affected by COVID-19 who are preparing transfer pricing
See MoreAustralia extends provision for instant asset write-off
On 9 June 2020, Australia’s federal government further announced plans to facilitate small business in response to the Covid-19 surge. That government will extend the AUD 150,000 instant asset write-off for six months to 31 December
See MoreAustralia updates guidelines for resolving international tax disputes
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has updated the guidelines for the mutual agreement procedure (MAP) and arbitration arrangements. The updated guidelines reflect modifications made (or to be made) in some of Australia’s tax treaties made
See MoreAustralia: ATO concerns over mischaracterized financial arrangements
On 25 May 2020, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) issued Taxpayer Alert (TA) 2020/2, in relation to mischaracterised arrangements and schemes connected with direct foreign investment into Australian businesses. ATO is concerned that
See MoreAustralia: New proposals on Hybrid mismatch rule
On 13 May 2020, the Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2020 was presented in the House of Representatives that would make technical changes to the hybrid mismatch rules addressing integrity of income tax laws and their application to multinational
See MoreAustralia extends lodgment due date amid COVID-19 pandemic
In response to COVID-19, the Australian taxation office (ATO) extended the lodgment day for 2018–19 company tax returns for many companies: Returns that were due on 15 May 2020 under the tax agent lodgment program have been automatically
See MoreAustralia: Tax measures amid COVID-19 pandemic
On 12 March 2020, the Australian government announced a package of measures to assist the economy withstand and recover from the economic impact of COVID-19. The following measures will be administered by the Australian Taxation Office
See MoreAustralia: Supporting measures to assist those affected by COVID-19
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) announced that it will implement a series of administrative measures to assist Australians experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. ATO release options available to
See MoreIMF Report Discusses Australia’s Economic Situation
On 4 March 2020 the IMF published a report following the conclusion of discussions with Australia under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. Economic growth recovered gradually in 2019 with a contribution from net exports. Growth is
See MoreAustralia introduces a bill to expand definition of SGE
On 12 February 2020, the Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 1) Bill 2020 was submitted in the Australian House of Representatives. This bill contains two measures that maintain the integrity and efficiency of Australia's tax
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