Edited version of your private ruling

Authorisation Number: 1012313349672

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Ruling

Subject: Residency

Question and answer

Are you a non resident of Australia from the date you left Australia?

Yes

This ruling applies for the following period

Year ended 30 June 2011

Year ended 30 June 2012

Year ended 30 June 2013

Year ended 30 June 2014

The scheme commenced on

1 July 2010

Relevant facts and circumstances

This ruling is based on the facts stated in the description of the scheme that is set out below. If your circumstances are materially different from these facts, this ruling has no effect and you cannot rely on it. The fact sheet has more information about relying on your private ruling.

Your country of origin is Australia and you are an Australian citizen.

You left Australia in 20XX to move overseas as you had accepted an employment contract to work as an independent contractor on an assignment until the end of 2013.

You initially lived in accommodation that was provided by your employer and were working on an 8 week on and 2 week off roster (being given a minimum days per annum).

In 2011 you changed jobs and now work for an overseas company working on a project. The project is due to be completed at the end of 2013. You work on a few months on and some weeks off roster (being given a minimum days per annum).

You hold a type of registration card valid until the end of 2013 which is renewed every six months and permits you to reside and work overseas.

You have applied for permanent residency overseas but have to wait a qualifying period of several years to learn the language and culture of the country.

You are registered with the Australian Embassy as a permanent overseas resident.

You intend to live overseas permanently and have been having private lessons to learn the language and culture through a private tutor.

You pay income tax on your earnings overseas and you also contribute to the overseas pension fund.

You hold private health insurance overseas.

You have an overseas bank account and a vehicle.

You have fully integrated into the lifestyle of overseas and have joined local sporting teams.

You are no longer on the Australian electoral roll.

You have been formally separated from your former spouse and are in the final stages of the divorce proceedings.

Under a child welfare agreement your former spouse has custody of your children.

You have accepted an offer on the sale of your house in Australia.

Neither you nor your former spouse have ever been Commonwealth Government of Australia employees.

Relevant legislative provisions

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-5

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 6(1)

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 995-1(1)

Reasons for decision

An Australian resident for tax purposes is defined in subsection 995-1(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) to be a person who is a resident of Australia for the purposes of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936).

The terms 'resident' and 'resident of Australia', in regard to an individual, are defined in subsection 6(1) of the ITAA 1936. The definition provides four tests to ascertain whether a taxpayer is a resident of Australia for income tax purposes. These tests are: 

· the resides test,

· the domicile test,

· the 183 day test, and

· the superannuation test.

The primary test for deciding the residency status of an individual is whether the individual resides in Australia according to the ordinary meaning of the word resides.

If the primary test is satisfied the remaining three tests do not need to be considered as residency for Australian tax purposes has been established.

Where an individual does not reside in Australia according to ordinary concepts, they may still be considered to be an Australian resident if they meet the conditions of one of the other tests.

The resides test

The ordinary meaning of the word 'reside', according to the Macquarie Dictionary, 2001, rev. 3^rd edition, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, NSW, is 'to dwell permanently or for a considerable time; having one's abode for a time', and according to the Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (1987), is 'to dwell permanently, or for a considerable time, to have one's settled or usual abode, to live in or at a particular place'.

You left Australia to take up employment overseas in 20XX with the intention to live overseas permanently. You will be living there for an indefinite period of time. Accordingly you are not residing in Australia.

As you do not meet the resides test, we will need to consider whether you meet any of the other three tests of residency.

The domicile test

Under this test, a person is a resident of Australia for tax purposes if their domicile is in Australia, unless the Commissioner is satisfied that their permanent place of abode is outside of Australia.

Domicile

Domicile is the place that is considered by law to be your permanent home. It is usually something more than a place of residence.

Your domicile is Australia because your country of origin is Australia and you are still an Australian citizen. Although you have made steps to gain permanent residency status overseas, this has not yet happened.

Therefore, you will be a resident of Australia unless the Commissioner considers you have established a permanent place of abode outside of Australia.

Permanent place of abode

It is clear from the case law that a person's permanent place of abode cannot be ascertained by the application of any hard and fast rules. It is a question of fact to be determined in the light of all the circumstances of each case.

The courts have considered a person's 'place of abode' is where they consider 'home'. In R v Hammond (1982) ER 1477, Lord Campbell CJ stated that "a man's residence, where he lives with his family and sleeps at night, is always his place of abode in the full sense of that expression."

A place of abode must exhibit the attributes of a place of residence or a place to live, as contrasted with the overnight, weekly or monthly accommodation of a traveller.

Paragraph 23 of Taxation Ruling IT 2650 Residency - Permanent place of abode outside Australia sets out the following factors which are used by the Commissioner in reaching a state of satisfaction as to a taxpayer's permanent place of abode:

· the intended and actual length of the taxpayer's stay in the overseas country;

· whether the taxpayer intended to stay in the overseas country only temporarily and then to move on to another country or to return to Australia at some definite point in time;

· whether the taxpayer has established a home (in the sense of dwelling place; a house or other shelter that is the fixed residence of a person, a family, or a household), outside Australia;

· whether any residence or place of abode exists in Australia or has been abandoned because of the overseas absence;

· the duration and continuity of the taxpayer's presence in the overseas country; and

· the durability of association that the person has with a particular place in Australia, i.e. maintaining bank accounts in Australia, informing government departments such as the Department of Social Security that he or she is leaving permanently and that family allowance payments should be stopped, place of education of the taxpayer's children, family ties and so on.

In relation to the weight to be given to each of the above factors, paragraph 24 of IT 2650 states:

The weight to be given to each factor will vary with the individual circumstances of each particular case and no single factor will be decisive… however… greater weight should be given to factors (c), (e) and (f) than to the remaining factors, though these are still, of course, relevant.

It is considered that your permanent place of abode is overseas because:

· You moved overseas over two years ago following your divorce to take up employment there

· You intend to live overseas permanently

· You have no intention of returning to Australia to live

· You live in private rental accommodation in overseas

· Your visits back to Australia will be minimal to visit your children and family and friends

· You now consider your home overseas and have applied for permanent residency

· You use a tutor to help you learn the language and culture overseas with the hope this will help you gain permanent residency

· Your house in Australia has been up for sale since you left and you have recently accepted an offer on it

· Once you have the funds from settlement of your house in Australia, you will look to purchase your own house in overseas

The 183 day test

Where a person is present in Australia for 183 days during the year of income the person will be a resident, unless the Commissioner is satisfied that the person's usual place of abode is outside Australia and the person nodes not intend to take up residence in Australia.

As you will not be present in Australia for more than one-half of the income year you will not be a resident under the 183 day test.

The superannuation test

An individual is still considered to be a resident of Australia if that person is eligible to contribute to the Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSS) of the Commonwealth Service Superannuation Scheme (CSS), or that person is the spouse or child under 16 of such a person. Generally Commonwealth Government employees are eligible to contribute to the PSS or CSS.

As you do not meet the above conditions you are not a resident under this test.

Conclusion

As you do not meet any of the above tests, you are not a resident of Australia for tax purposes. As you are not a resident of Australia, according to section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997, your assessable income only includes income gained from sources in Australia.

Note

From the date you become a foreign resident any interest and dividend income will be subject to foreign resident withholding tax. If you receive any dividend income and maintain any bank accounts in Australia you should provide the relevant financial institutions with your overseas address.

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