Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 4) Act 2007 (143 of 2007)

Schedule 1   New foreign income tax offset rules

Part 6   Savings provisions

226   Making and amending assessments, and doing other things, in relation to past matters

Even though an Act is repealed or amended by this Act, the repeal or amendment is disregarded for the purpose of doing any of the following under any Act or legislative instrument (within the meaning of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003):

(a) making or amending an assessment (including under a provision that is itself repealed or amended);

(b) exercising any right or power, performing any obligation or duty or doing any other thing (including under a provision that is itself repealed or amended);

in relation to any act done or omitted to be done, any state of affairs existing, or any period ending, before the repeal or amendment applies.

Example: For the 2006-07 income year, Smart Investor Pty Ltd, an Australian resident private investment company, has assessable foreign income in the passive income class on which it has paid foreign tax for which it wishes to claim a foreign tax credit. The company also has a tax loss for the year from its Australian investments. When it lodges its tax return for the year it does not elect to claim a deduction for any of the tax loss under section 79DA of the ITAA 1936, because the Australian tax payable on its passive foreign income equals the foreign tax it has paid.

In 2009 the amount of foreign tax payable in respect of some foreign rental income it had included in its return for the 2006-07 year is reduced and Smart Investor receives a refund of the difference in foreign tax. Smart Investor Pty Ltd then applies to be able to make an election under section 79DA, that is, after the Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 4) Act 2007 (which repeals section 79DA) receives Royal Assent. The Commissioner allows Smart Investor to submit an election to claim a deduction for so much of its 2006-07 tax loss as to reduce the amount of Australian tax payable on its 2006-07 assessable foreign income to the revised foreign tax paid, by the end of 2009.

Despite the repeal of section 79DA, item 226 allows the Commissioner to permit an election to be lodged after the return for 2006-07 has been lodged, and to amend Smart Investor's assessment for that year, because these actions relate to a thing done, and periods ending, before the repeal of section 79DA applies.