Consolidation charter

Purpose

Terms of reference

The National Tax Liaison Group (NTLG) Consolidation Sub-group provides a forum for the Tax Office, Treasury and professional and industry associations to raise and discuss legal and administrative issues in relation to the consolidation provisions.

The sub-group:

• operates as a consultative forum to identify and prioritise the most significant technical and/or administrative consolidation issues and to help the Tax Office form interpretative views and resolve administrative issues, and
• provides reports to the NTLG through the chair.

Type of forum and length of term

The NTLG Consolidation Sub-group falls under the auspices of the National Tax Liaison Group. However, it operates independently and is governed by the principles outlined in its charter.

Category:  Tax interpretation and administration

Length of term:  Ongoing - subject to annual review

Decision making authority

The NTLG Consolidation Sub-group has an advisory role, making recommendations to the Tax Office.

Tax Office staff involved in the sub-group will follow normal Tax Office procedures for the resolution of significant issues.

Governance and relationships

Chris Jordan, Commissioner of Taxation is the sponsor of this forum.

The forum approver is the Second Commissioner, Corporate Services and Law.

The Consolidation Sub-group has a subsidiary relationship with the NTLG. The Consolidation Sub-group will report annually to the NTLG on its achievements during the year and its forward focus for the following year.

A Senior Tax Counsel from the Tax Counsel Network is the chair of the sub-group. The chair reports to the NTLG, and ensures that the governance of the sub-group complies with PS CM 2006/6.

Tax practitioner forums

Tax profession strategies includes a diagram of the current tax professional consultative forums and details of the peak tax professional forums.

Justification for establishment

The Tax Office consults widely with taxpayers and the business and professional communities in administering the tax system. To this end, the Tax Office actively sponsors and promotes a wide range of tailored consultative arrangements.

The Tax Office recognises the important role tax professionals play in the administration of the Australian tax system. Their contributions are sought through a range of consultative forums, such as the NTLG and its sub-groups (including the NTLG Consolidation Sub-group).

The NTLG and its sub-groups are peak consultative forums, created to focus on topics of strategic importance to the tax system. The community expects its tax system and its administration to be fair, efficient and effective, and its delivery to be as simple and professional as possible. The key aim of the NTLG and the NTLG sub-groups is to work towards achieving this common goal.