Newsletter
July 2013 Newsletter
Closing the Dividend Washing loophole
The government is seeking to close what it perceives to be a loophole allowing sophisticated investors to engage in what it calls “dividend washing”. The government says “dividend washing” is a process that allows sophisticated investors to effectively trade franking credits, and can result in some shareholders receiving two sets of franking credits for the same parcel of shares.
The government has issued a discussion paper to facilitate consultation and has proposed tax law changes to take effect from 1 July 2013. The changes would aim to prevent shareholders from receiving two sets of franking credits for the same effective parcel of shares through dividend washing, and to ensure that there would be negligible impacts on legitimate market activities.