2.a.20 Where travel is undertaken by a health service provider as part of the supply of a GST-free medical or other health service and the practitioner charges the patient a higher fee because of the requirement to travel to another place for that treatment, will the additional amount be GST-free?

Non-interpretative – straight application of the law.

Where the practitioner is required to travel to the premises of a client and it is an integral component of the appropriate treatment that the service is to be performed at those premises, any additional charge for the reason that the practitioner is required to perform those services at those premises will be embodied in the supply of that service being a medical or other health service. Accordingly the additional amount will be GST-free provided all of the other necessary elements of sections 38-7 or 38-10 are met.

An example of where travelling to a patient's premises will be part of the appropriate treatment is where a patient is immobilised due to back injury and a ‘recognised professional’ in 'physiotherapy' travels to the patients residence to provide the appropriate treatment.

Another example is where an occupational therapist travels to a patient's employment premises to consider and advise upon the physical work environment of the patient as part of the appropriate treatment of the patient.

Where the practitioner undertakes travel to provide the treatment as a matter of convenience, then that component of the supply is not GST-free. Section 9-80 is applicable as it relates to ‘The value of taxable supplies that are partly GST-free or input taxed’.