Taxation Law

Brown Wright Stein has a specialist team of tax advisors who have a wealth of experience in all aspects of taxation law.

Three out of only a handful of lawyers in NSW to be certified by the Law Society of New South Wales as accredited specialists in taxation law work at Brown Wright Stein.  Partner Geoff Stein, and Special Counsel Max Einfeld and David Garde.  Geoff Stein heads a team of tax specialists, a number of whom hold Masters qualifications in taxation law.

We act on behalf of a wide range of clients from listed public companies, to small and medium-sized enterprises and high net worth individuals. Brown Wright Stein also works closely with leading accounting firms to provide expert advice on Commonwealth and State taxation law. We employ a pragmatic and strategic approach in advising our clients, ensuring our advice fits within the context of their wider business and personal needs.

Our experience

Examples or our experience are outlined below.

  • Recent experience includes advising a major Australian retailer in relation to its salary sacrifice program, focusing on fringe benefits tax law. Advice was also provided in relation to GST payable on a $400 million distribution following the IPO of one of its related entities.
  • We regularly advise on the application of the GST margin scheme; receipts, deductions and expenditure; and whether a relevant tax benefit has been obtained within the meaning of Part IVA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth).
  • We advised a large listed public company in relation to content published in a scheme booklet for scheme of arrangement.
  • We have also acted for a large accounting firm in connection with resolving matters with the Tax Office regarding issues relating to service entities.
  • We have advised on responses to high net worth individual questionnaires from the ATO; and provided advice in relation to different events under the capital gains tax legislation.
  • Our team has recently acted in a wide range of tax litigation matters in the Federal Court and AAT including: misappropriation of funds for which R&D concessions were obtained under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth); determination of whether a taxpayer was a ‘scientific institution’; the determination of whether receipts are of a capital nature; appropriateness of penalty; appeal of default tax assessments; and in relation to a taxpayer entitlement to the benefit of small business capital gains tax concessions.