Catherine Pierce

The Australian Taxation Office has been blocked from indirectly recouping GST lost in a major tax scam by allegedly crooked gold traders with the Full Federal Court finding a $208 million demand sent to a defunct gold refiner had incorrectly interpreted the GST Act.

A Melbourne-based law firm was negligent when it advised the owners of Barflys bar and cafe in Bourke Street to settle a case against its landlords for $341,500 because of changes to the law on retail leases, an appeals court has found.

Supermarket giant Coles has lost an appeal over $40 million in tax credits it had claimed for fuel that evaporated or leaked from tanks at its service stations, after a judge described the supermarket giant’s argument as “artificial”.