Newsletter
July 2014 Newsletter
Tax debt release on serious hardship grounds refused
In a recent case, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) refused an individual's application to be released from his tax debt of $58,000 on the grounds of serious hardship.
The AAT noted that no explanation was offered for the taxpayer’s failure to meet his tax liabilities as they arose. The AAT said that instead of paying what it considered to be manageable tax assessments, the taxpayer "largely ignored his tax liabilities over the last five or six years, and has allowed the amounts due to accumulate with interest".
TIP: The Tax Commissioner has a discretion to release individuals from eligible tax debts. However, even if the Commissioner is satisfied that serious hardship would result from payment of the tax debt, he is not obliged to exercise the discretion in the taxpayer's favour.
Broadly, serious hardship is said to exist when payment of a tax debt would leave an individual unable to provide basic living necessities for themselves and their dependants. Ultimately, it is a question of fact whether payment of an eligible tax liability would result in serious hardship – and the onus is on the taxpayer to prove their case before a tribunal.