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Professionals who have SMSF clients with property assets and have not sought formal valuations where they’re applying the CGT relief could attract the attention of the tax office.
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Lightweight valuations could tip off the ATO, accountants told
19 December 2017
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7 minute read
Hayes Knight director of SMSF, Ray Itaoui said assets within a super fund always need to be carried at market value, but with the changes to superannuation, the valuation of an asset has become even more significant, particularly where they’re resetting the cost base this year.
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“We're seeing funds that have reset the cost base on the property, and haven't actually obtained a formal valuation,” said Mr Itaoui told sister publication SMSF Adviser.
If a formal valuation is in place then it’ll be difficult for anyone to dispute the valuation, because it’s an independent valuation from a valuer, he explained.
“In terms of properties being adjusted at 30 June, we're seeing a lot of trustees resetting cost bases without actually obtaining a formal valuation. So they're getting a real estate agent appraisal or they're using their own value by coming up with a figure,” he said.
“In terms of an audit, that could be acceptable, but it just creates a really large risk because the trustees are obviously heavily invested in trying to increase the value of that property as much as possible in terms of the reset of the cost base.”
Last month, ATO assistant commissioner Kasey Macfarlane said an independent valuation by a professional valuer is one of the strongest pieces of objective evidence to support a value that an SMSF trustee can use.
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She also stressed that the value used for an asset for the purposes of the CGT relief should be the same value used for the purposes of total superannuation balance and transfer balance cap purposes.
“It’s one of those areas where auditors should be really diligent with ensuring that the market value has been completed correctly,” said Mr Itaoui.
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