There were limited announcements made that are relevant to the
property and funds management industries in the MYEFO. The GST
reverse charge mechanism for going concerns and farm land will be
proceeded with and we still await details of the MIT reforms.
GST: Reverse charge for going concerns and farm land
The Government has announced 'reverse charge' rules
relating to the sale of business and farm land. Currently a
'going concern' exemption is available for the sale of an
operating business. For the sale of farms under the GST Act, it
allows the sale to be treated as GST-free.
The 'reverse charge' rules originally announced by the
Labor Government in the 2009-10 budget seek to remedy the problems
facing between the interaction of the GST-free exemptions and other
provisions of the GST Act. As a result the reverse charge rules
look to treat the sale of a 'going concern' or
'farmland' as a taxable supply (taxed at 10%) and upon a
written agreement between both