Land Tax

This involves matters in all states and territories of Australia. This includes:

• advising on all aspects of land tax, including application of absentee owner surcharge and eligibility for exemptions (e.g. principal place of residence exemption, primary production exemptions and aged care exemptions)
• advising on the application of tax on vacant land, including identifying whether the vacant land is a capital asset or a trading stock and eligibility for exemptions
• advising on structuring, including grouping and de-grouping of properties and taxpayers
• 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 land tax assessments, including lodging objections to assessments of land tax and appeals in the tribunals and courts
• where appropriate, accessing informal dispute resolution mechanisms for clients to resolve land tax 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 land tax issues, and
• reviewing and making recommendations on trust documents regarding whether a taxpayer is an absentee owner and liable to the surcharge.