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After firing warning shots last year, the tax office has this week issued a blanket taxpayer alert about structured arrangements.
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ATO issues new taxpayer alert
15 February 2018
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The ATO released TA2018/1, which you can access in full here, to indicate to taxpayers and professionals that it is reviewing certain structured arrangements involving the transfer of shares in the period around the shares’ ex-dividend date.
“We are concerned these arrangements involve taxpayers inappropriately receiving franking credits in breach of rules designed to maintain the integrity of the imputation system. The arrangements have typically been marketed to investors such as equity funds and large superannuation funds,” the ATO said in a statement released yesterday.
Structured arrangements of particular concern involve a taxpayer with an existing investment in shares acquiring an additional parcel of the same shares. The additional shares are held for a short period over the ex-dividend date, but the taxpayer has nominal or no economic exposure to those additional shares.
The tax office is looking to bring this issue to the attention of SMSF trustees and professionals in particular, to prevent further spread of such arrangements.
The ATO issues taxpayer alerts to warn of new or emerging risky tax or superannuation arrangements, as well as issues that are under risk assessment. They do not provide an ATO view, but are an indication of an area of surveillance or concern for the tax office.
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