Tax

The future of a class action against a Canberra property developer accused of misleading investors about GST on their apartments is in doubt after the litigation funder withdrew support for the “uneconomic” case.

A former Greenwoods & Freehills partner is suing the tax advisory firm and Lendlease, alleging he was effectively sacked after refusing to put his name to a tax return and making complaints that the construction giant was inflating its income and dodging tax.

Telecommunications giant SingTel is challenging a ruling in favour of the Australian Taxation Office's decision to reject over $894,000 in tax deductions related to its $14.2 billion acquisition of Optus.

The High Court won't hear a challenge to a decision finding a Canberra property developer that misled investors about GST on its apartments did not have to pay for losses alleged in a class action against it.

Rail freight operator Aurizon has triumphed in a tax dispute with the ATO, with a court finding that credit for a $4.4 billion loan by the Queensland government made during an initial public offering in 2010 was share capital despite no shares being issued to the state government.

Advice from non-lawyers and "routed" through a legal practitioner at multidisciplinary partnership PricewaterhouseCoopers cannot be shielded under legal professional privilege, the Federal Court has found.

The ATO has won a legal challenge over when it can claim tax from trust income, with the High Court finding beneficiaries cannot “retrospectively expunge” their entitlements to the proceeds of a trust despite the potential “unfairness” this creates.

A judge has rejected the Australian Taxation Office's claim that legal professional privilege does not apply to any communications between PricewaterhouseCoopers and its client, meat processor JBS, but has found that many of the reviewed documents do not satisfy the test of privilege.

A notice issued to Pepsico demanding royalty withholding tax over bottling payments made by Schweppes correctly notified the soft drink giant of its tax liability, the Australian Taxation Office has said.

SingTel has been blocked from making $190,000 in tax deductions after the Australian Taxation Office won its Federal Court case against the Singaporean teleco over transfer pricing benefits related to the $14.2 billion acquisition of Optus.