Edited version of your private ruling

Authorisation Number: 1012540040622

Ruling

Subject: Undeducted Purchase Price of your foreign pension

Question

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

Ruling

No

This ruling applies for the following period

2011-12 financial year

2012-13 financial year

The scheme commenced on

On or after 1 July 1983.

Relevant facts:

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

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.

Your pension is paid by a scheme.

All the pension is payable to you.

The pension became payable on or after 1 July 1983.

The pension is payable for life.

The total amount of contributions, other than employer contributions, paid to the retirement fund towards the purchase of the pension is nil.

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 and regulatory 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 960-50.01

Reasons for decision

Explanation

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

Summary

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 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.

The definition of 'purchase price' is contained in subsection 27H(4) of the ITAA 1936. It states that purchase price includes the contributions made by a person to any foreign superannuation fund to obtain a pension and so much of contributions considered reasonable by the Commissioner as having been paid by a person to a foreign superannuation fund to obtain superannuation benefits including a pension.

As indicated in your application for the private ruling, you have not made any personal contribution towards the purchase price of your pension. Therefore, you are not entitled to a deductible amount because you have not personally contributed to the fund.

Other relevant comments

Please note that from 1 July 2007, the legislation changed in relation to superannuation pensions and benefits paid from complying superannuation funds. However, these changes do not affect any pensions paid from overseas funds which are not considered complying superannuation funds under section 42 of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 as they are not resident funds.