One-hour oral tax advice

Sometimes people need to initially work through their tax or superannuation problems with an expert, but don’t want written advice.

This one-hour, fixed price phone or video conference is ideal for people who know the questions they want to ask, have simple tax queries, want to clarification their understanding or want to understand their options before choosing their a path.

If you decide you want written advice, we take the initial conference fee off our total price for that advice.

Tax written advice

Many people need written advice to help them manage their tax or superannuation issues.

Whether to plan what to do or work out the consequences of what has already happened, our written advice will help you understand and make informed decisions as a result.

Tax private rulings

Sometimes, people want the certainty about tax consequences that comes from a revenue office private ruling.

We can help you provide the relevant facts, ask the right questions and get meaningful answers from the tax office in such a private ruling.

Tax reviews

Revenue agencies conduct many types of review of taxpayers’ compliance, which can be risky if you don’t get assistance in managing these processes.

Some reviews are so comprehensive that they are really audits by another name.

Common areas for risk reviews include: international transactions, potentially unreported income, input tax credit claims, employment taxes and superannuation and taxes or duties on major sale transactions.

We can help you to understand what the revenue agency is asking about, how to address their concerns and how to best manage the consequences.

Tax audits

Revenue agencies conduct audits of taxpayers’ affairs, which are usually intensive examinations of the taxpayer, their transactions and how they are meeting their tax obligations.

Many of these audits involve the use of compulsory notice powers to obtain information or documents and even to be interviewed under oath.

Common audit areas include: potentially unreported income, unexplained wealth, input tax credit claims with associates, private company or trust transactions with associates, employer obligations and sales of major assets.

We can help you to manage these audits, to understand what the agency wants, how best to address their concerns and how to manage the consequences.

Tax objections

Many times, when a revenue agency makes a decision on an assessment of tax or duty or even on a private ruling, the affected taxpayers will disagree.

The first stage in this process is usually some form of statutory objection, where the taxpayer states what they disagree with and why.

We can help you to come up with the strongest grounds, the best evidence and the most convincing arguments to support your objection.

Tax debt negotiations

Revenue agencies have strong powers to collect debts owed to them.

Many taxpayers can’t afford to pay those debts, often for good commercial or personal reasons.

We can help you to negotiate with revenue agencies and to explore the discretions they have to remit amounts of penalties /and/or interest, vary times to pay, reach a payment plan or even seek relief from or release of some debts.

Tax litigation

Where taxpayers disagree with a revenue agency, they may end up having to litigate – whether about collection of debts or about substantive liability to tax, penalties or interest.

We can help you to manage such litigation effectively – either representing you directly or through working with other professionals who are representing you to achieve the best outcome.

Tax prosecutions

Revenue agencies and prosecuting authorities often mount prosecutions for tax-related offences – like alleged non-lodgment of returns or other forms, allegedly making false statements or keeping false records.

We can help you to defend yourself against such charges, either directly representing you or through working with other professionals who are representing you to achieve the best outcome.

Tax representation

Taxpayers frequently need to liaise with revenue agencies about their tax or superannuation affairs.

We can help you to manage this by acting as your representatives in dealing with the revenue agency to resolve your issue/s with them to ensure ongoing compliance with your taxation obligations.

Tax dispute resolution

Taxpayers will often end up in a dispute with revenue agencies like the tax office.

We can help you to evaluate your case, facilitate discussions with the revenue agency and to progress the resolution of your dispute with them.

Tax structuring for transactions

There are many times when people forget to look at the tax consequences of an arrangement before it is implemented.

We can help you to structure your transactions in the most tax effective way in your circumstances, so that you don’t end up paying more tax than is necessary.

Tax structuring for ownership options

There are many ways for people to arrange their financial affairs, not all of which are tax effective.

We can help you to arrange your ownership structures in the most appropriate ways for your needs from a tax perspective, so that you don’t end up paying more tax than is necessary.

Tax governance and internal control systems

Increasingly, revenue agencies like the tax office are concentrating on private and public group tax governance as part of their risk assessment of such groups – which can mean more or less frequent reviews or audits.

We can help you to set up, manage and operate better tax and superannuation governance and internal control systems – to ensure that you are managing these risks more effectively and that you can reassure revenue agencies that you are doing so.

Tax practitioner investigations

Tax practitioners are subject to many regulatory restrictions, which are overseen by the Tax Practitioners’ Board.

We can help people to manage their interactions with the Board where there are potential problems, the practitioner is subject to an investigation, wishes to object to a decision or wants to litigate an adverse decision.