Tax Avoidance: Causes and Solutions - Scholarly Commons Home
Tax Avoidance: Causes and Solutions - Scholarly Commons Home
Tax Avoidance: Causes and Solutions - Scholarly Commons Home
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“(1) <strong>Avoidance</strong> Arrangement Void<br />
A tax avoidance arrangement is void as against the Commissioner for income tax purposes.<br />
(2) Reconstruction<br />
Under Part G (<strong>Avoidance</strong> <strong>and</strong> non-market transactions), the Commissioner may counteract<br />
a tax advantage that a person has obtained from or under a tax avoidance arrangement.”<br />
There are two distinct elements under section s BG1. First element, s BG 1(1), focuses on<br />
concept of a tax avoidance arrangement <strong>and</strong> sets out the circumstances that must be<br />
satisfied for an arrangement to be void. Second element, s BG1 (2) gives the Commissioner<br />
power to adjust the accounts of a taxpayer to counteract any tax advantage obtained.<br />
Identifying whether there is tax avoidance arrangement existing is the key to the two<br />
elements. <strong>Tax</strong> avoidance arrangement is defined in s OB 1 as:<br />
An arrangement, whether entered into by the person affected by the arrangement or by<br />
another person, that directly or indirectly -<br />
“(a) has tax avoidance as its purpose or effect; or<br />
(b) has tax avoidance as one of its purposes or effects, whether or not any other purpose or<br />
effect is referable to ordinary business or family dealings, if the purpose or effect is not<br />
merely incidental.”<br />
These definitions bring out three of five principles to considering the application of section<br />
BG 1 117 . The five principles are<br />
Step 1 - Determining the arrangement <strong>and</strong> its scope;<br />
Step 2 - Determining "tax avoidance";<br />
Step 3 - Determining the purpose or effect that is more than merely incidental;<br />
Step 4 – Judicial approaches;<br />
117<br />
Inl<strong>and</strong> revenue Department, INA00009 Interpretation of Sections BG 1 <strong>and</strong> GB 1 of the Income <strong>Tax</strong> Act<br />
2004, Wellington, 2004.<br />
43