Stamp Duty

 
We offer comprehensive and practical stamp duty advice to a wide range of domestic and overseas clients for all types of transactions.

Our clients include listed and unlisted funds, large corporates, government and not-for-profit entities, small and medium enterprises and high net worth individuals. We assist with all aspects of their businesses, including structuring, arrangements, transactions, documents and compliance.

Experience

  • Providing advice on all aspects of stamp duty, including application of foreign purchaser surcharge and eligibility for exemptions (eg family farm exemptions, transfers to beneficiaries of trusts, SMSF exemptions, corporate reconstruction exemptions etc).
  • Providing advice regarding structuring, including optimal structures and steps and timing of steps, for set up of funds, corporate landholders and other transactions involving dutiable property.
  • Attending to all aspects of stamp duty compliance and lodgement, including lodging and stamping documents, attending to landholder duty acquisition statements and calculations, and making submissions for applicable exemptions.
  • Providing certainty for taxpayers by obtaining private rulings on their behalf from State Revenue Authorities.
  • Assisting clients with investigations, reviews and audits instigated by State Revenue Authorities.
  • Challenging stamp duty assessments including lodging objections to assessments of stamp duty and appeals in the Tribunals and Courts, including preparation and filing of evidence, briefing Counsel and management of hearings.
  • Where appropriate, accessing informal dispute resolution mechanisms for clients to resolve stamp duty disputes, including settlement discussions, mediation and compromise assessments.
  • Assisting clients with valuations and valuation disputes, including briefing of expert valuers and challenging State Revenue Authority valuations by way of objections and appeals.
  • Achieving remission of penalty tax and interest by way of submissions to State Revenue Authorities.
  • Obtaining second opinions from Senior Counsel on complex stamp duty issues.
  • Reviewing, providing advice and making recommendations on trust documents in relation to whether a taxpayer is a foreign purchaser and liable to the surcharge in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

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