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Court of Appeal rules the ATO is lawfully entitled to share information in case of taxpayer charged by the Commonwealth DPP for attempting to unlawfully obtain R&D tax offset

April 15th, 2024

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 […]

2023 Annual Report for IISA: Update on R&D Tax Legal matters and litigation

April 8th, 2024

Industry Innovation and Science Australia (IISA) is the government department responsible for determining whether companies’ activities meet the legislative criteria eligible under the R&D Tax Incentive. The 2022-23 Annual Report for IISA was recently released, and a section of the report provides an update on legal matters and litigation relevant to the department. When comparing the 2022-23 Annual Report with the equivalent publications from previous years, a continued decline in the number of R&D Tax disputes arising between companies and […]

New AAT Case: GQHC and ATO Considers Feedstock Provisions and Scope of ATO Power to Assess Activity Eligibility in Absence of AusIndustry Finding

March 18th, 2024

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 […]

High Court Denies Special Leave to the Commonwealth on Behalf of Employees

November 28th, 2023

Various laws determine the manner in which a company’s assets are distributed to employees and creditors in the event of an insolvency event. In a decision handed down by the New South Wales Supreme Court in 2022, the order of priority of payments in a winding up where employee debts and secured creditor claims exist was considered. The matter was Spitfire Corporation Limited (in liquidation) and Aspirio Pty Ltd (in liquidation) [2022] NSWSC 340. The court considered whether Refundable R&D […]