The matter concerns an individual charged by the Commonwealth DPP for attempting to unlawfully obtain a refund under the R&D Tax Incentive. Before being charged, the taxpayer was compulsorily examined by the ATO. The individual had applied to stay the proceedings against them partly by arguing that the ATO had unlawfully distributed transcripts of examinations with other government agencies (namely AusIndustry). The primary judge of the District Court agreed with the taxpayer, and the prosecution applied to the Queensland Court […]
Companies seeking to register R&D Activities conducted during the Year Ended 30 June 2023 (companies that have a Standard YE for tax) who have yet to do so should note that the Registration Deadline is 10 Months after the YE, and 30 APRIL 2024. The blanket and automatic extensions granted during COVID do NOT apply any longer or for FY23 claims. Extensions of time may be available in certain situations, and extension applications lodged BEFORE the original deadline are viewed […]
A new AAT case dated 16 February 2024 (GQHC and Commissioner of Taxation (Taxation) [2024] AATA 409), considered a situation where the ATO determined a company had not engaged in eligible R&D activities, but where no findings had been made by AusIndustry, who usually has jurisdiction over activity assessment. The matter considered jurisdiction issues of: whether the Commissioner has the power to assess or make decisions as to whether a company’s registered activities consist of eligible “R&D activities” as defined […]
Australia’s R&D Tax Incentive program is designed to encourage innovation by providing tax refunds to eligible companies based on their R&D spending. However, companies face a refund cliff if their revenue exceeds the legislated turnover threshold. A company’s rate of R&D tax offset and whether it is refundable or not depends primarily on the R&D entity’s aggregated turnover: If an entity’s aggregated turnover is less than $20 million and it is not controlled by any exempt entities, then the company […]