Neal v Brown – Difficulties with Superannuation Deathbed Withdrawals

The recent NSW Supreme Court case of Neal v Brown [2024] NSWSC 841 highlights the adverse and unforeseen consequences of withdrawing superannuation death benefits before one’s death.

This case emphasis the necessity of not only considering tax implications when withdrawing superannuation benefits before death but also how such withdrawals interact with the terms of a will. Proper estate planning is essential to ensure that the distribution of assets aligns with the deceased’s wishes.

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Oliver Hume Decision: Victorian Landholders Duty Applies on Capital Raising based on “substantially one arrangement”

The Victorian Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Oliver Hume Property Funds (Broad Gully Rd) Diamond Creek Pty Ltd v Commissioner of State Revenue [2024] VSCA 175 has settled that, in Victoria, aggregation applies to the acquisition of shares or units by investors, even in circumstances where the investors are unrelated under the one syndication or capital raising process.

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Trusts, Tax Paul Gray Trusts, Tax Paul Gray

ATO provides a “safe harbour” for fixed trusts

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) published the final version of the Practical Compliance Guidelines (PCG) 2016/16, which provides guidance in relation to what will be considered by the Commissioner when exercising his discretion to treat an interest in the income or capital of a trust as being a fixed entitlement, and by extension whether a trust is a fixed trust for most tax law purposes.

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Oppression remedies for unit trusts

It is an unfortunate fact of life that running a business will not always go smoothly, and occasionally disputes will arise between business owners and business investors. A unit trust is a popular structure for conducting a business, but it has traditionally presented business owners and investors with some difficulty when seeking to resolve their disputes. 

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