Australia: Tax Authorities

Explore Jones Day's comprehensive video series on navigating complex tax controversies across multiple jurisdictions, featuring expert insights on IRS strategies, economic substance doctrine, and the evolving global tax dispute landscape. Discover practical guidance on managing multijurisdictional tax challenges in Australia, Europe, and beyond, alongside specialized content on cross-border trade secrets and private credit infrastructure funding.

Tasmania's new taxation bill introduces significant changes for foreign investors and corporate groups, including reduced thresholds for surcharge relief and streamlined restructuring exemptions. The amendments lower the dwelling requirement from 50 to 10 units for foreign investor duty relief and eliminate pre- and post-transaction association requirements for corporate reconstructions.

From 1 October 2026, foreign vendors in transactions valued at $50 million or more must notify the Australian Taxation Office when providing non-indirect Australian real property interest declarations. These new requirements introduce strict notification deadlines, comprehensive reporting obligations, and significant penalties for non-compliance. How will these reforms impact transaction planning, risk allocation between parties, and completion mechanics for cross-border deals?

The NSW Supreme Court has handed down its decision in ISPT Pty Ltd (ACN 064 041 283) as Trustee of ISPT Retail Australia Property Trust (FSREC Fund) v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2026] NSWSC 424...

On 30 June 2026 the Supreme Court of New South Wales handed down its judgment in Forever Grateful Holdings Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2026] NSWSC 761, which clarified the point in time at which the relevant facts are to be considered when determining a duty liability arising under the Duties Act 1997 (NSW) (Duties Act).

The most significant shift in Australian tax enforcement is not tax rates, but the convergence of transparency, enforcement and foreign investment scrutiny – elevating tax into a first‑order governance and reputational risk for boards.

The NSW Supreme Court's decision in ISPT Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue addresses whether a taxpayer's acquisition of a 19.46% interest in a private landholding unit trust must be aggregated with a previously acquired 75.8% interest obtained when the trust was still a public landholder.

Higher fuel prices are flowing through to transport costs, supplier pricing, and operating expenses. For many SMEs, this is resulting in margin compression...

The Australian Government has released draft legislation proposing significant and retrospective changes to foreign resident capital gains tax rules, dramatically expanding what constitutes taxable Australian real property. These changes will apply to past transactions dating back to 2006, existing investments, and future deals, with only limited transitional relief for renewable energy assets until 2030.