Tax

Assurances that PwC can be a defendant in a privilege fight with the ATO while representing three other defendants in the proceedings and avoid a conflict of interest has failed to allay concerns raised by a Federal Court judge, who said the situation created "at least an appearance of tension".

A court battle between the Australian Taxation Office and PricewaterhouseCoopers over the scope of legal professional privilege claimed by one of its major clients, meat processing giant JBS Australia, has hit a preliminary snag over the consulting giant's representation of JBS, with a judge warning he might compel the company and its subsidiaries to engage independent lawyers.

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.

Mining giant Glencore has mostly defeated an appeal by the Australian Taxation Office in their tax fight, and will only have to pay $2 million of a $92 million bill relating to the sale of copper from a mine in Cobar, NSW.

The Australian Taxation Office is challenging a victory by two Crown Resorts' casinos in a $100 million dispute over GST assessments on commissions and rebates paid to tour operators that directed international VIP gamblers to the casinos.

The Australian Taxation Office has secured a Full Federal Court victory in its $60 million tax battle with Healius, overturning a ruling that found the healthcare company could claw back a multi-million dollar tax refund.

The director of a defunct HR company has lost his bid to avoid paying a $384,000 tax bill after hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent to the tax office via the wrong EFT number and used to repay other debts the company owed.

US white shoe firm White & Case has snagged a leading tax partner from Herbert Smith Freehills' tax firm to bolster its growing team in Australia.

Two casinos owned by Crown Resorts have been handed a Federal Court victory in their $100 million battle with the Australian Taxation Office, with a judge ruling that GST assessments made by the ATO were "excessive".

The lead applicant in a securities class action against the directors and auditors of laser technology firm Arasor has been hit with costs for its "completely unsatisfactory" conduct in its failed pursuit of over $508,000 in legal costs spent in disputes with the ATO and funder International Litigation Partners.