Edited version of your written advice

Authorisation Number: 1012808584785

Ruling

Subject: Managed Investment Scheme - Forestry

Question 1

Will the establishment fee for the tree lots paid by the taxpayer on execution of the project agreement on or before 30 June be an allowable deduction under Division 394 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)?

Summary

The establishment fee for the tree lots paid by the taxpayer on execution of the project agreement on or before 30 June be an allowable deduction in that income year under Division 394 of the ITAA 1997 subject to:

• all of the trees under the project being established within 18 months of the execution of the project agreements, and

• a capital gains tax (CGT) event does not happen in relation to the taxpayer's forestry interest on or before 30 June within four years of the execution of the project agreement.

Question 2

Will the fees paid under the project agreements, be allowable deductions under Division 394 of the ITAA 1997 for the taxpayer?

Summary

The fees, paid under the project agreements, are an allowable deduction under Division 394 of the ITAA 1997 for the taxpayer as an initial participant in the project:

• the performance fee in the income year in which the taxpayer is entitled to gross proceeds of sale and the performance fee is paid from those proceeds,

• the selling and marketing fee in the income year in which the taxpayer is entitled to proceeds and the selling and marketing fees are paid from those proceeds,

• the property management fee in the income year in which it is paid,

• annual rent incurred under the lease agreement in the income year in which the annual rent is paid from the year after the execution of the project agreements, and

• amounts payable under the annual deferred investment options in the income year in which the taxpayer is entitled to proceeds and the deferred fee is paid from those proceeds.

Detailed reasoning for question 1 and 2

Section 8-5 of the ITAA 1997 (all subsequent legislative references are to this Act unless otherwise specified) allows certain specific deductions to be claimed against the assessable income of a taxpayer. The list of specific types of deductions are set out in a table in section 12-5 and includes payments under a 'forestry managed investment scheme' that meet the requirements of subsection 394-10(1).

Subsection 394-10(1) provides that the taxpayer can deduct an amount if:

(a)  you hold a forestry interest in a forestry managed investment scheme; and

(b)  you pay the amount under the scheme; and

(c)  the scheme satisfies the 70% DFE rule (see section 394-35) on 30 June in the income year in which a participant in the scheme first pays an amount under the scheme; and

(d)  you do not have day to day control over the operation of the scheme (whether or not you have the right to be consulted or give directions); and

(e)  at least one of these conditions is satisfied:

(i)  there is more than one participant in the scheme;

(ii)  the forestry manager of the scheme, or an associate of the forestry manager, manages, arranges or promotes similar schemes; and

(f)  the condition in subsection (4) is satisfied.

Subsection 394-15(2) provides that an entity that manages, arranges and promotes a forestry managed investment scheme is a forestry manager of the scheme. A scheme will be 'a forestry managed investment scheme if the purpose of the scheme is for establishing and tending trees for felling in Australia' (subsection 394-15(1)). A forestry interest is held in a forestry managed investment scheme where there is a right to benefits produced by the scheme (subsection 394-15(3)).

The deductibility of the establishment fee, under subsection 394-10(1), remains subject to the requirement that:

• the manager establishes all of the trees under the project within 18 months of the end of the income year in which the taxpayer becomes a participant in the scheme, and

• a CGT event does not happen in relation to the 'forestry interest' that the taxpayer holds as an initial participant before 1 July within four years of the execution of the project agreement.

The establishment fee is deductible in the income year in which it is paid, or it is paid on the taxpayer's behalf as an initial participant (subsection 394-10(2) and section 394-20). This requires cash to flow from the taxpayer, or from another entity on the taxpayer's behalf, to the manager's bank account in the year in which the deduction is claimed. Any form of payment that does not involve the movement of cash into the manager's bank account will not qualify for a deduction under subsection 394-10(2).

The taxpayer is a participant in the project, which meets the definition of a 'forestry managed investment scheme', and holds a 'forestry interest' in the Project. In consideration for payments the taxpayer makes, in respect of the taxpayer's forestry interest in the project, trees are intended to be established pursuant to the project agreement. As a result the taxpayer holds their forestry interest in the scheme as an initial participant in satisfaction of subsection 394-15(5).

Paragraph 394-10(1)(c) states that the scheme must satisfy the '70% DFE rule' on 30 June in the income year in which a participant pays an amount under the scheme. Under that rule it must be reasonable to expect that in the income year of the execution of the project agreement, the amount of 'direct forestry expenditure' (section 394-45) under the scheme will be no less than 70% of the amount of payments under the scheme (subsection 394-35(1) and section 394-40).

The amount of all 'direct forestry expenditure' is the amount of the net present value of all 'direct forestry expenditure' that the responsible entity, as 'forestry manager' (section 394-15(2)) of the project, has paid or will pay under the scheme (subsection 394-35(2)).

The taxpayer has contracted the manager to carry out the day to day operation of the project. The taxpayer is the only participant in the scheme; however, the manager, satisfies the definition of 'forestry manager' is subsection 394-15(2),. The condition is subparagraph 394-10(1)(e)(ii) is therefore satisfied.

Pursuant to the project agreement, the manager will cause the establishment services to be completed within 18 months of the execution of the project agreement, in satisfaction of the requirement in paragraph 394-10(1)(f) and subsection 394-10(4).

Accordingly, subject to the qualifications set out below, amounts paid by the taxpayer to the manager in relation to the taxpayer's 'forestry interests' satisfy all requirements of subsection 394-10(1). The amounts are allowable deductions in the income year in which they are paid (subsection 394-10(2)). However, whether registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) or not, the taxpayer cannot treat GST payments as a payment under a forestry managed investment scheme (paragraph 394-40(d)).

Where the taxpayer does not fully pay an amount, or the amount is not fully paid on their behalf in an income year (see section 394-20), it is deductible only to the extent to which it has been paid. The unpaid balance is then deductible in the year or years in which it is actually paid. This may occur, for example, if all or part of the amount is borrowed and the financier fails to transfer the funds to the account of the 'forestry manager' on or before 30 June in an income year.

Loss of deductions previously allowed under subsection 394-10(1)

Two situations may lead to a loss of deductions previously allowed to the taxpayer under subsection 394-10(1).

The first of these situations will occur if the condition in subsection 394-10(4) is not met in relation to the Project. That is, the manager fails to establish all the trees on the project land within 18 months of execution of the project agreements. Where this occurs the manager is required to notify the Commissioner within three months of the 18 month period (section 394-10 of Schedule 1 to the Tax Administration Act 1953).

The second situation where the taxpayer may have deductions disallowed is where a 'CGT event' happens to their 'forestry interest' within four years after 30 June of the income year they paid an amount under the scheme, for example, the establishment fee (subsection 394-10(5)).

For the purposes of giving effect to subsection 394-10(5), the Commissioner is able to amend the taxpayer's assessment within two years after the relevant 'CGT event'. Subsection 394-10(6) provides that the Commissioner's power to amend in these circumstances applies despite section 170 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936).

Where a 'CGT event' happens to the 'forestry interest' held by the taxpayer within four years after the execution of the project agreements, the market value of the forestry interest at the time of the 'CGT event' or any decrease in the market value of the 'forestry interest' as a result of the 'CGT event' is still included in the taxpayer's assessable income pursuant to section 394-25. The amount must be included in the taxpayer's assessable income even where an amendment has disallowed or may disallow the deductions previously allowed under section 394-10.

However, subsection 394-10(5) will have no application where the 'CGT event' happens because of circumstances outside the taxpayer's control and the taxpayer could not reasonably have foreseen the 'CGT event' happening when they acquired the 'forestry interest' (subsection 394-10(5A)).

Under the terms of the project agreement, the establishment fee was payable by 30 June.

Therefore, ensuring all of the above requirements are met the taxpayer can claim deductions for the GST exclusive amount that is paid to the manager (sections 8-5 and 394-10).

Amounts that are allowable deductions under Division 394 cannot also be claimed as deductions under section 8-1 (section 8-10).

Question 3

Do sections 82 KL and 82KZL to 82 KZMF of the Income Tax Assessment Act of 1936 (ITAA 1936) apply to deny the deductions otherwise allowable?

Summary

The following provisions of the ITAA 1936 have application as indicated:

• rent paid as an initial participant, to the finance entity, does not fall within the scope of sections 82KZM, 82KZME and 82KZMF and

• section 82KL does not apply to deny the deductions otherwise allowable.

Detailed reasoning

The prepayment provisions contained in Subdivision H of Division 3 of Part III of the ITAA 1936 affect the timing of deductions for certain prepaid expenditure. These provisions apply to certain expenditure incurred under an agreement in return for the doing of a thing under the agreement that will not be wholly done within the same year of income as the year in which the expenditure is incurred. For schemes such as this project, the main operative provisions are sections 82KZMD and 82KZMF of the ITAA 1936.

However, subsection 394-10(7) specifically provides that sections 82KZMD and 82KZMF of the ITAA 1936 do not affect the timing of amounts deductible under section 394-10.

Accordingly, under the scheme to which this Ruling applies, only deductions for rent payable under the scheme will potentially fall within the prepayment provisions.

The operation of section 82KL of the ITAA 1936 depends, among other things, on the identification of a certain quantum of 'additional benefit(s)'. Insufficient 'additional benefits' will be provided, or granted, to the taxpayer to trigger the application of section 82KL of the ITAA 1936. Section 82KL of the ITAA 1936 will not apply to deny deductions otherwise allowable to the taxpayer.

The following provisions of the ITAA 1936 therefore have application as indicated:

• rent paid by the taxpayer as an initial participant, to the finance entity, does not fall within the scope of sections 82KZM, 82KZME and 82KZMF and

• section 82KL does not apply to deny the deductions otherwise allowable.

Question 4

Does Part IVA of the ITAA 1936 apply to deny deductions for the expenditure incurred by the taxpayer under the project arrangements?

Summary

The relevant provisions in Part IVA of the ITAA 1936 will not be applied to cancel a 'tax benefit' obtained under a tax law dealt with in this Ruling.

Detailed reasoning

For Part IVA of the ITAA 1936 to apply there must be a 'scheme' (section 177A of the ITAA 1936), a 'tax benefit' (section 177C of the ITAA 1936) and a dominant purpose of entering into or carrying out the scheme to obtain a tax benefit (section 177D of the ITAA 1936).

The project will be a 'scheme' and the taxpayer will obtain a 'tax benefit' from entering into the 'scheme', in the form of tax deductions for the amounts detailed in the table above. However, it is not possible to conclude the scheme will be entered into or carried out with the dominant purpose of obtaining this tax benefit.

The taxpayer will derive assessable income from holding or disposing of their 'forestry interest' in the project. There are no facts that would suggest that the taxpayer have the opportunity of obtaining a tax advantage other than the tax advantages identified in this Ruling. There is no non-recourse financing and no indication that the parties are not dealing at arm's length or, if any parties are not dealing at arm's length, that any adverse tax consequences result. Further, having regard to the factors to be considered under paragraph 177D(b) of the ITAA 1936 it cannot be concluded, on the information available, that the taxpayer will enter into the scheme for the dominant purpose of obtaining a tax benefit.

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