At Cove Legal we are very active in the tax litigation space and two recent decisions particularly caught our eye.
Firstly in Arbuckle v Commissioner of Taxation [2019] WASC 7 Martin J dismissed Mr Arbuckle’s Appeal against the sentence imposed by the Magistrate’s Court.
The Court found that Mr Arbuckle’s long-standing failure to meet his tax obligations did warrant a 6- month suspended prison term. He was released on the undertaking to be of good behaviour for a period of two years.
In handing down the sentence, Magistrate Huston said he needed to “send a message very clearly to Mr Arbuckle that he needs to be discouraged from engaging in this form of unlawful behaviour ever again.”
“I also need to send a message to the broader community that the expectations in the legislation for lodging income tax returns and business activity statements is not something to fit in when life is convenient. They have to be prioritised because it’s a legislative requirement to do those things.”
The second decision is Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Nore [2019] WADC 27 which saw the District Court dismiss an ATO summary judgment application against Mr Nore on the basis that there was sufficient uncertainties in the ATO’s case (despite the ATO claiming Mr Nore had no defence to the claim) to justify the matters being aired in court.
Mr Nore had been issued with a Director Penalty Notice with respect to a company that failed to remit superannuation guarantee charges. There are a number of steps a Director can take in order to avoid personal liability in that scenario. Some of those actions were undertaken by Mr Nore with the Court observing “In the circumstances … I am struggling to see what the defendant could have done.”
The two decisions perhaps sit at opposite ends of the true litigation scale: the Supreme Court showing a willingness to endorse custodial sentences for more serious personal tax omissions whilst the District Court is resisting the Commissioner’s attempts to rely upon his procedural/legislative advantages so as to prevent arguable defences from being properly considered by the Courts. Both show that tax disputes can very much turn on their own particular facts and circumstances and require specialist guidance.
Roger Blow
P: +61 8 6381 0326 or e: roger@covelegal.com.au
This publication is not intended to provide and does not provide legal advice. You should seek professional legal advice relating to your specific situation(s) before taking any action based upon its contents.