Wang Anqi s4653304 Assignment
Wang Anqi s4653304 Assignment
Assessment task 2
Letter of advice
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2 April 2023
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Mr. Zivian Louis
25 Mount Street
Manly NSW 2020
Tax Advice and Co
25 Mount Street
Manly NSW 2020
Dear Mr Louis,
Further to our recent discussion, please find below our advice in relation to the matter
as requested.
Summary of Advice
In summary, our advice is as follows:
The information you provided is insufficient to make a definite decision on your
residence. The intended and actual length of oversea stay, intention to stay in
presence in the overseas country are required before a final decision is reached.
If your salary is income from personal exertion performed in Australia, the source
gain to the taxpayer, received periodically and does not have a capital nature.
I assume that your work is mainly to offer legal advice or consultancy to your
rectifying defect in the work performed and supplying the plant and equipment
needed for the work, and at least 75% of your personal service income is for
producing a result (for example, to meet the legal demand of your clients), then
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you are conducting a personal service business.
If you derive income from providing service to more than one people that are not
associates of each other, the individual and the personal service entity, and the
service is the result of making offers or invitations to the public, you will satisfy
the unrelated client test and will be considered to conduct a personal service
business.
If you employ one or more people and they perform at least 20% of your
principal work for the income year, you satisfy the employment test and are
for this work, the office is separate from premises for private use and client, then
you satisfy the business premises test and you are conducting a personal
income business.
If you are conducting a personal service business, the rent of business premises
will be considered as common business deduction, and thus the rent of office
should be deducted from business income. If you are not conducting business
but deriving personal service income from employee occupation, then the rent of
assessable income, which means that you acquired that certificate while working
in legal field and you intended to get higher income by obtaining this certificate.
Then the expense may have direct and strict connection with your current
taxation; if it is for your loss of salary, the payment will be treated as ordinary
income.
If the antique clock was acquired for daily use, I suggest that the clock would not
be a CGT asset because it is unlikely that the clock was acquired for over
$10,000. However, if the clock was treated as collectable and was acquired for
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over $500, the clock would be a CGT asset.
Assuming the clock is capital asset, the sale of clock will be liable to CGT if the
cost base is less than capital proceeds and it was acquired after 20/09/1985.
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Reasons for our decision
Legislation used to determine if a person is a resident of Australia for tax
purposes?
The term ‘Australian resident’ means a person who is a resident of Australia for the
purposes of the Income Tax Assessment Act 19361, defined by S995-1 of ITAA 1997.
than one-half of the year of income, unless the Commissioner is satisfied that the
person ' s usual place of abode is outside Australia and that the person does not
or
(C) the spouse, or a child under 16, of a person covered by sub-
Australia, carries on business in Australia, and has either its central management and
control in Australia, or its voting power controlled by shareholders who are residents
of Australia.2
The Draft Taxation Ruling TR 2022/D2 consolidates and replaces the material in
Taxation Rulings IT 2650 and TR 98/17. The residency tests for individuals for tax
purposes and the Commissioner's view on when they consider a person will be a
1
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) S 995-1.
2
Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth) S 6(1).
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resident of Australia are outlined in this Ruling. However, it should be noted that it
While Court and Tribunal decisions provide illustrations of how the Court or Tribunal
has considered and weighted facts, an outcome in one case does not govern the
outcome in a different case, even where the facts are similar. In that case, intention,
has 4 alternative tests, which are the ordinary concepts test, domicile test, 183-day
test and Commonwealth superannuation fund test. You are a resident if you meet any
one (or more) of the tests but a non-resident if you do not meet any of the tests.
Because of the limited information, only the first two tests will be considered.
considerable time; have one's abode for a time'. In Levene v Inland Revenue
Commissioners (1928) AC 217 at 225 it was stated that 'ordinary residence' connotes
some degree of continuity apart from accidental or temporary absences and that this
Australia. Factors that are usually considered with regard to that connection include:
3
TR 2022/D2 Income tax: residency tests for individuals.
4
Levene v Inland Revenue Commissioners (1928) AC 217.
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in Australia.5 As you operate a legal office in Australia, it can be deduced that
you have decided to work in Australia for a long period if you are required to stay
at least have to take part in regular working activities, which consistent with
residing in Australia.
Family, and business or employment ties – it is stated by the Ruling that entering
in behaviour that indicates you reside here.6 As you own a business in Australia,
Australia. You always have a domicile and you can only have one domicile at any
acquires voluntarily. 9
As your address is in Australia, I assume that Australia is your present domicile.
5
TR 2022/D2 para 32.
6
TR 2022/D2 para 45.
7
TR 2022/D2 para 20.
8
TR 2022/D2 para 56.
9
TR 2022/D2 para 55.
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Secondly, although you were an Australian-domiciled person, you would not be a
The leading case on what constitutes a permanent place of abode outside Australia
is FCT v Applegate (1979) 9 ATR 899, where the taxpayer was held to have a
permanent place outside Australia although he had the intention that he would return
to Australia. In this case, Northrop J concluded that the term ‘permanent place of
abode’ must be considered in context and that it did not mean that a taxpayer never
intended to return to Australia. His Honour also stated that each income year must be
reside outside Australia permanently.11 Based on this case, if you operated a branch
office abroad, lived and worked routinely abroad and left no assets in Australia,
despite your intention, I think it is more possible that you had a permanent place of
abode outside Australia for the income year ending in June 2023. However, the
information you offered seems to indicate that your working center is in Australia and
on your residence. The intended and actual length of oversea stay, intention to stay
in the foreign country or return to Australia, whether residence in Australia has been
abandoned due to overseas absence, family ties and continuity of presence in the
10
TR 2022/D2 para 61.
11
FCT v Applegate (1979) 9 ATR 899.
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Legislation used to determine the source of income?
There is no statutory definition of ‘source’ in ITAA. According to ss 6-5 and 6-10 of the
ITAA 1997, a resident of Australia is taxed on ordinary and statutory income from all
sources, while a foreign resident is taxed only on ordinary income and statutory
basis.12
It is stated that source rules are based on a combination of common law principles
and statutory provisions. For different classes of income, different source rules have
been adopted.13
income:
Place where taxpayer performs services.
Place where contract signed.
Place of payment.
The salary of $200,000.00 you received is income from provision of legal services.
Concluded from FCT v French (1957) 98 CLR 398 and FCT v Cam & Sons (1936) 36
SR (NSW) 544, service income will have its source where the services are
performed. Williams J claimed that ‘the inclusion of this income as income from
personal exertion indicates that the locality of the source of this income would be
where the taxpayer performed the duties of the office or employment and not where
the property was situated from which the income was derived’.14
If your salary is income from personal exertion performed in Australia, the source of
12
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) S6-5, S6-10
13
K Sadiq et al, Principles of Taxation Law 2019 (Thomson Reuters, 2019) 102.
14
FCT v French (1957) 98 CLR 398; FCT v Cam & Sons (1936) 36 SR (NSW) 544.
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this income is Australia.
by case law. However, the determination must be based on facts of individual case.
Your salary is income from personal services, provided that you are paid for offering
An income can be categorized as ordinary income only when it satisfied the following
To further determine whether your salary is ordinary income, we should see if your
payment.
• the flow concept - The flow concept was mainly used to distinguish between capital
15
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) S6-5(1).
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and income. It was articulated in the US judgment Eisner v Macomber 252 US 189
(1920) decision by Pitney J. In describing the flow concept, Pitney J used the
metaphor of the tree (capital) and fruit (income), with the fruit representing the flow
from the tree.16 In an employment context, the taxpayer’s ability to work or the
employment contract would be considered as capital, and the payment for services,
Conclusion
Your salary is ordinary income, as it is in cash or convertible into cash, a real gain to
the taxpayer, received periodically and does not have a capital nature.
personal services income if the income is mainly a reward for your personal efforts or
skills (or would mainly be such a reward if it was your income). 18 I assume that your
work is mainly to offer legal advice or consultancy to your clients. In that case, your
salary is personal service income because it is a reward for your personal efforts or
skills.
you are conducting a personal service business instead of deriving personal service
income.
employee”.19
16
Eisner v Macomber 252 US 189 (1920)
17
K Sadiq et al, Principles of Taxation Law 2019 (Thomson Reuters, 2019) 123.
18
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 84-5.
19
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 995-1.
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Under ITAA97 s 87-15(1), an individual or personal services entity conducts a
business tests in the income year for which the question whether the individual or
results test in an income year if, in relation to at least 75% of the individual' s
(b) the individual is required to supply the plant and equipment, or tools of trade,
needed to perform the work from which the individual produces the result; and
(c) the individual is, or would be, liable for the cost of rectifying any defect in the work
performed.21
S 87-18(2) also provides that the results test does not apply to income: that the
From the information you offered, if you are not the employee of the legal office and
are liable for the cost of rectifying defect in the work performed and supplying the
plant and equipment needed for the work, and at least 75% of your personal service
income is for producing a result (for example, to meet the legal demand of your
20
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 87-15(1).
21
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 87-18.
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clients), then you are conducting a personal service business.
client test
According to ITAA97 C, an individual or a personal services entity meets the
(a) during the year, the individual or personal services entity gains or produces
income from providing services to 2 or more entities that are not associates of each
other, and are not associates of the individual or of the personal services entity; and
(b) the services are provided as a direct result of the individual or personal services
entity making offers or invitations (for example, by advertising), to the public at large
If you derive income from providing service to more than one people that are not
associates of each other, the individual and the personal service entity, and the
service is the result of making offers or invitations to the public, you will satisfy the
unrelated client test and will be considered to conduct a personal service business.
employment test
According to ITAA97 s 87-25(1), an individual meets the employment test in an
(a) the individual engages one or more entities (other than associates of the
(b) that entity performs, or those entities together perform, at least 20% (by market
If you employ one or more people and they perform at least 20% of your principal
22
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 87-20(1).
23
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 87-25(1).
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work for the income year, you satisfy the employment test and are considered to
premises test
According to ITAA97 s 87-30(1), an individual or a personal services entity meets the
business premises test in an income year if, at all times during the income year, the
(a) at which the individual or entity mainly conducts activities from which personal
(c) that are physically separate from any premises that the individual or entity, or any
(d) that are physically separate from the premises of the entity to which the individual
or entity provides services and from the premises of any associate of the entity to
If you provide legal service mainly in your office, you use the office exclusively for this
work, the office is separate from premises for private use and client, then you satisfy
the business premises test and you are conducting a personal income business.
determine the deductibility of an expense, but for rent of business premises, there is
no need to look at each provision one by one. If you are conducting a personal
24
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 87-30(1).
25
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 8-1.
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business deduction, and thus the rent of office should be deducted from business
income. If you are not conducting business but deriving personal service income from
employee occupation, then the rent of office cannot be deducted from your salary.
According to s8-1 of the ITAA1997, the prerequisite that an expense can be deducted
is:
(a) it is incurred in gaining or producing your assessable income; or
(b) it is necessarily incurred in carrying on a business for the purpose of gaining or
The expense for practice certificate is expense for self-education. The principle for
(1971) 2 ATR 557, whether there was a clear nexus between the expense and
increased assessable income in the future determined that whether the expense was
deductible.28 In Finn v FCT (1960) 8 AITR 406, Dixon CJ found that the pursuit of
knowledge by a taxpayer in his or her calling does not fall within the scope of
expenses of capital nature, because ‘they (skill and knowledge) do not endure like
assume that the outgoings on practice certificate were incurred in gaining assessable
26
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 8-1(1).
27
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 8-1(2).
28
FCT v Hatchett (1971) 2 ATR 557.
29
Finn v FCT (1960) 8 AITR 406.
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income, which means that you acquired that certificate while working in legal field
and you intended to get higher income by obtaining this certificate. Then the expense
may have direct and strict connection with your current employment and should be
deductible.
take the character of the item they replace. If a compensation payment substitutes an
amount that would have been ordinary income if received, it will be assessable as
ordinary income under ITAA97 s 6-5.31 If a compensation payment would have been
assessed as statutory income if received, and falls outside ITAA97 s 6-5, the amount
Categorized by what type of loss the taxpayer has suffered, compensation received
replacing salary or wages that results from policy of insurance held by employer will
shown in FCT v Dixon (1952) 86 CLR 540 and T (Victoria) v Phillips (1936) CLR
compensation for loss of income only or a certain portion of the payment relates to a
30
K Sadiq et al, Principles of Taxation Law 2019 (Thomson Reuters, 2019) 307.
31
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 6-5.
32
FCT v Dixon (1952) 86 CLR 540; T (Victoria) v Phillips (1936) CLR 144.
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loss of an income nature.33 If the injury disabled you to go to work and results in
salary loss, then the compensation is replacing salary you should have earned and
the loss of a physical ability, such as the loss of a limb, eye or finger, is a capital
receipt. Further, the compensation or damages payment received for any wrong or
injury you suffer in your occupation or any wrong, injury or illness you or your relative
suffers personally will be exempt from CGT implications under s 118-37 of the ITAA
1997.34
damages received for pain, suffering or medical expenses is replacing lost capital
and therefore will be a capital receipt. Section 118-37 of the ITAA 1997 will also apply
in this situation.
In conclusion, if the compensation is for the loss of physical abilities or injury you
suffer personally or in occupation, you will be exempted from taxation; if it is for your
33
TD 93/58 para1.
34
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 118-37(1).
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• your home;
• contractual rights;
• goodwill;
• foreign currency.35
Referring to this section, there are two possible judgements of the clock based on
different assumptions. In the first case, if the clock was acquired for daily use, I
suggest that the clock would not be a CGT asset because it is unlikely that the clock
was acquired for over $10,000. In the second case, if the clock was treated as
collectable and was acquired for over $500, the clock would be a CGT asset.
is acquired before 20/09/1985.36 If the clock was acquired before 20/09/1985, it will
There are two conditions for a capital gain to arise. Firstly, there must be a CGT
event related to the CGT asset. In s 104-5, CGT events are divided into 12
categories:
• disposal of a CGT asset;
• use and enjoyment of a CGT asset before title passes;
• end of a CGT asset;
• bringing into existence a CGT asset;
• trusts;
• leases;
• shares;
• special receipts;
• Australian residency ends;
35
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s100-25.
36
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 104-10(5)(a).
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• reversal of roll-overs;
• other CGT events;
• consolidated groups.37
Section 104-10(2) provides that disposal of asset occurs if ownership of the asset
changes from the taxpayer to another person due to an act, event or operation of
Secondly, the proceeds on the disposal must exceed the cost base (or the indexed
cost base) of the asset, according to s104-10(4) of ITAA1997. 39 In this case, the
conditions. If the asset was acquired before 21/09/1999, taxpayer should choose the
one which gives the smaller capital gains between Indexation method and Discount
method. However, it should be noted that the discount method requires that the asset
is a discount asset and held for over 12 months. If the asset was acquired after
21/09/1999, only discount method applies. However, it should be noted that the
discount method does not apply to companies and requires that the asset is a
discount asset and held for over 12 months. Cost base cannot be calculated unless
In conclusion, assuming the clock is capital asset, the sale of clock will be liable to
CGT if the cost base is less than capital proceeds and it was acquired after
20/09/1985.
Your sincerely,
Ms Wang
Partner
37
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 104-5.
38
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 104-10(2).
39
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth) s 104-10(4).
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Tax Advice and Co
P: 03 9225 9999 D: 03 9225 9998
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References
A Books
K Sadiq et al, Principles of Taxation Law 2019 (Thomson Reuters, 2019)
B Case Law
Eisner v Macomber 252 US 189 (1920)
FCT v Applegate (1979) 9 ATR 899
FCT v Cam & Sons (1936) 36 SR (NSW) 544
FCT v Dixon (1952) 86 CLR 540
FCT v French (1957) 98 CLR 398
FCT v Hatchett (1971) 2 ATR 557
Finn v FCT (1960) 8 AITR 406
Levene v Inland Revenue Commissioners (1928) AC 217
T (Victoria) v Phillips (1936) CLR 144
C Legislation
Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth)
Income Tax Assessment Act 1997(Cth)
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