Newsletter
November 2013 Newsletter
No enterprise, so GST credits refused
The AAT has refused an individual's claim for input tax credits as it found no evidence that the individual was carrying on an "enterprise". The individual claimed that before she was required to serve a term of imprisonment, she had tried to start a "services business". She claimed that she had purchased, among other things, two motor vehicles, various office equipment, and business promotional materials. The individual made claims for input tax credits totalling almost $74,000 in respect of the various purchases over four years. However, the individual said the attempts to start the business did not succeed and straddled her term of imprisonment. The individual also claimed that any records she had of the purchases were lost or destroyed, or that she had not been asked to produce documentation by the Tax Commissioner.
The AAT said the individual was given various opportunities to produce documents to back her claims before the hearing; however, it noted that her evidence, being mostly personal testimony, did not satisfy the burden of proof that the Commissioner's assessment denying the input tax credits was excessive. The AAT found that there was no "enterprise" for the purposes of the GST law and that the decision to deny the input tax credits was correct.