Trusts are widely used for investment and business purposes.
A trust is an obligation imposed on a person or other entity to hold property for the benefit of beneficiaries. While in legal terms a trust is a relationship not a legal entity, trusts are treated as taxpayer entities for the purposes of tax administration.
The trustee is responsible for managing the trust's tax affairs, including registering the trust in the tax system, lodging trust tax returns and paying some tax liabilities.
Beneficiaries (except some minors and non-residents) include their share of the trust's net income as income in their own tax returns. There are special rules for some types of trust including family trusts, deceased estates and super funds.
Find out about
- Trustees and beneficiaries
- Trust income
- Trust capital gains and losses
- Trusts – registering and reporting for tax
- Specific rules for some trusts
- Trusts – concerns around vesting
- Trusts – tax consequences of trust splitting
- Trust loss provisions
- Trustee resolutions
See also
A trust is an obligation imposed on a person or other entity to hold property for the benefit of beneficiaries.