Tax

Canberra developer Geocon has won a Full Court appeal over the GST payable on $115 million in sales from a 360-unit development, with the case sent back to a tribunal for final determination.

The tax commissioner is challenging last month's loss in a $948 million capital gains dispute with Malaysia's YTL Power.

A developer has lost a $18 million dispute with the Victorian revenue office over duties for purchasing the Alphington Paper Mill, which it plans to develop into a new mini-suburb with 2,500 homes. 

Thomson Geer has appointed returning lawyer Aimee Riley as its newest tax partner, luring her back from professional services giant EY.

Several Apache Corporation units have failed to block Santos from withdrawing admissions in a long-running fight over $83 million in tax credits related to Apache's $2.1 billion sale of certain assets, with a judge finding Apache’s prejudice arguments were “significantly overstated”.

The tax commissioner has suffered a major loss in a dispute with Malaysian power company YTL Power over a $948 million capital gain from the sale of its stake in South Australia-based ElectraNet in 2022.

Law firm DLA Piper has boosted the ranks of its tax practice with the appointment of three partners, along with a team of five, from Clayton Utz.

Software giant Oracle has won its bid to stay a $252 million fight with ATO over royalties, with the Full Federal Court finding the cases would not provide guidance in 15 other software disputes about the operation of the royalty tax. 

An ex gratia payment under Queensland's tax laws is just what it means — one made by the state revenue office as a favour and not a legal obligation, a court has found in a loss for UK developer Avon.

A judge has refused to join the ATO as an interested party to a case over the receivership of investment platform Brite Advisors, after the receivers worried they could be on the hook for $75.4 million in capital gains tax.