Tax

Alcoa has won a transfer pricing dispute with the Tax Office, with a tribunal rejecting the ATO's novel argument that Alcoa was not dealing at arm's length in selling alumina to a distributor that bribed Bahraini government officials.

Property developer Mirvac has successfully challenged the land tax valuation of a North Sydney office block, securing a $6.25 million reduction following a conciliation conference with the Valuer General of NSW.

Real estate investment firms Dexus and Ho-Group have convinced the valuer general of NSW to knock roughly $26 million off its initial valuation of a Sydney office sold by Ho-Group last year that was used in a land tax assessment. 

A judge has ruled WhatsApp messages are admissible as tendency evidence in the ATO's case against an ex-EY partner over an alleged tax exploitation scheme.

A court has weighed in on the tax treatment of the proceeds of developed land, finding the landowner did not engage in business-like conduct such that his profits should be considered income.

Payments by bottler Schweppes Australia to US drink giant PepsiCo should be assessed as royalty income under tax law, the ATO has told the High Court in a high-stakes case.

An ex-Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills partner who claims he was sacked for complaining about client Lendlease's "aggressive tax position" is seeking pro-bono representation after losing his lawyers.

On the first day of trial in the Tax Office's case against a former EY partner accused of marketing a tax loss access scheme and pocketing $700,000 in the process, the court heard former clients were assured the scheme was "risky but not illegal". 

Lawyers for a former partner of tax advisory firm Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills will cease to act for him in his case alleging he was sacked for complaining about client Lendlease’s “aggressive taxation position”. 

A former PricewaterhouseCoopers partner has settled his case against the consulting giant, which alleged he was denied promised retirement payments.