Media | Recent
Recent Media
Tax clarity boosts private equity
In this edition of Boardroom Radio, Middletons tax partner Philip Diviny discusses the new tax regime for the treatment of foreign private equity investments in Australia. More...
August 2010
Civil Procedure Bill 2010 (Vic)
The Victorian Parliament yesterday passed the Civil Procedure Bill 2010 (Vic), which applies to the Victorian Magistrates', County and Supreme Courts and has the aim of facilitating the determination of disputes in a more timely and cost effective manner. Some of the reforms introduced by the Bill are significant, in particular the steps that are now required to be taken by parties before proceedings are instituted. Similar reforms were before the Commonwealth Parliament (in the Civil Dispute Resolution Bill 2010 (Cth)) when it was dissolved for the election and may be re-introduced depending on the outcome of the imminent federal poll. More...
August 2010
New GST provisions for transport and related services
Following recent amendments to the GST Act, Australian carriers, forwarders and brokers will no longer be subject to GST exposure when they provide local transport services to a foreign transport company in relation to international transport of goods. More...
August 2010
Further significant changes for property developers - added security or a financing nightmare for off-the-plan sales?
Following our recent eAlert!, a series of further legislative amendments have been introduced into the Victorian Parliament that affect the way property developers contract with purchasers. The Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2010 (Vic) (the Bill) is the latest instalment in a series of consumer laws that directly affect the way property developers do business. The Bill proposes to make several amendments to the Owners Corporation Act 2006 (Vic), the Estate Agents Act 1980 (Vic), Conveyancers Act 2006 (Vic) and, critically, the Saleof Land Act 1962 (Vic). More...
August 2010
Vacant land cannot be residential accommodation for GST purposes
In Vidler v Commissioner of Taxation [2010] FCAFC 59 the taxpayer failed to remit GST on the sale of two vacant blocks of land on the basis that the land constituted residential premises and the sales were therefore input taxed supplies. The Commissioner issued notices of assessment for the payment of GST on the supplies. The taxpayer lodged notices of objection that were disallowed and on hearing at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal the Commissioner was successful. The taxpayer subsequently appealed to the Full Federal Court. More...
July 2010
Australian Consumer Law to commence on 1 January 2011
The Australian Consumer Law reforms are now complete with the Trade Practices Amendment (Australian Consumer Law) Act (No.2) 2010 (Act) receiving royal assent on 13 July 2010. The Act renames the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA) the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and implements a long awaited national uniform consumer law in Australia. More...
July 2010