Proposed tax breaks for native title benefits

By Justin Byrne, Special Counsel, Hannah Byrne and Courtney Smith

The Australian Government has released exposure draft legislation that clarifies the way native title benefits interact with the Australian income tax system, and provides tax breaks for benefits provided to Indigenous groups.

Here, special counsel Justin Byrne and solicitors Courtney Smith and Hannah Byrne review the proposed tax amendments and outline the impact these changes are likely to have in practice.

Key points

• The legislation proposes amendments to the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, and is part of a range of intended reform following the completion of the 2010 consultation paper Native Title, Indigenous Economic Development and Tax.