Edited version of private ruling

Authorisation Number: 1011675426600

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Ruling

Subject:

Annual deductible amount of the Undeducted Purchased Price (UPP) of your foreign pension.

Question

Are you entitled to an annual deductible amount in respect of the undeducted purchase price (UPP) of your foreign pension?

Answer

Yes, your annual deductible amount has been calculated in accordance with subsection 27H(2) of the Income Tax Assessment act 1936 (ITAA 1936)

This ruling applies for the following period:

Year ended 30 June 2009

The scheme commenced on:

On or after 1 July 1983

Relevant facts and circumstances

You receive a pension from a retirement fund established and managed outside Australia.

There is no Taxation Ruling or Taxation Determination published which provides for an alternative calculation or Commissioner's discretion under section 27H(3) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936).

The international tax agreement between Australia and the country in which the retirement fund is established and managed) provides that the pension is taxable in Australia.

Your assessable income includes your pension income.

All the pension is payable to you.

The pension became payable on or after 1 July 1983.

The pension is payable for life, and on your death reverts to your spouse.

You have provided evidence confirming the total amount of contributions, other than employer contributions, paid to the retirement fund towards the purchase of the pension

The residual capital value of the pension is nil.

Your pension is paid on a monthly basis.

Assumptions

This ruling is given on the basis of the facts stated in the description of the scheme as set out above. Any material variation from these facts (including any matters not stated in the description above and any departure from these facts) will mean that the ruling will have no effect. Examples of such variations include but are not limited to commutation, divorce and re-marriage. No entity will then be able to rely on this ruling as the Commissioner will consider that the scheme has been implemented in a way that is materially different from the scheme described.

Relevant legislative provisions

Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 Section 27H

Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 Subsection 27H(2)

Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 Subsection 27H(3)

Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 Subsection 27H(4)

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 960-50

Income Tax Regulations 1936 Regulation 9

Income Tax Assessment Regulations 1997 Regulation 960-50

Reasons for decision

While these reasons are not part of the private ruling, we provide them to help you to understand how we reached our decision.

EXPLANATION

Please note that all references to 'pension' cover both pensions and annuities

Section 27H of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936) operates to include in assessable income the amount of any pension derived by a taxpayer during a year of income reduced by the annual deductible amount.

The deductible amount is deemed to be a return of part of your contribution towards the purchase of the pension.

The deductible amount is calculated based on the undeducted purchase price (UPP) of your pension.

The UPP is the amount you contributed towards the purchase price of your pension for which you did not claim, and were not eligible to claim, a tax deduction in Australia. Contributions made by an employer or by another person under an agreement to which the employer was a party, cannot form part of the UPP of the pension.

Under subsection 27H(2) of the ITAA 1936 and subject to subsection 27H(3) or (3A) of the ITAA 1936, the annual deductible amount of a superannuation pension is ascertained in accordance with the formula:

where:

A = is the relevant share of the pension payable to the taxpayer in relation to the year

of income (if all of the pension is payable to the taxpayer, A = 1)

B = is the amount of the UPP of the pension

C = is the residual capital value, and

D = is the relevant number in relation to the pension.

Under subsection 27H(4) of the ITAA 1936, when a pension is payable during the lifetime of a person, the 'life expectation factor' is to be used as the relevant number.

Regulation 9 of the Income Tax Regulations 1936 states that for the purposes of the definition of life expectation factor in subsection 27H(4) of the ITAA 1936, the Australian Life Tables published by the Australian Government Actuary are to be used.

In Taxation Determination TD 2006/72 the Commissioner states, in paragraph 1, that the relevant number used to calculate the deductible amount of a superannuation pension that is payable to a person (the original pensioner) for life and on the death of that person is payable to another person for their life (the reversionary pensioner) will be the greater of the life expectancies of the original and reversionary pensioners.

The factors for determining the life expectancy are:

· the date the pension first became payable;

· your age when the pension commenced;

· your spouse's age when the pension commenced.

· the annual deductible amount has been calculated in accordance with subsection 27H(2) of the ITAA 1936

Your annual deductible amount of the UPP will apply for the 2008-09 income year and all subsequent years where the facts, as stated in the ruling, do not change.