• Want to help us with this year's BoS Trials?
    Let us know before 30 June. See this thread for details
  • Looking for HSC notes and resources?
    Check out our Notes & Resources page

Looking for an elegant solution to this taxation dilemma (1 Viewer)

Suvat

part timer
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
645
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Hey guys,

I'm doing this problem on taxation and have just stumbled upon a dilemma which appears to defy common sense. Let's say you have a hobby farm and sell excess produce for cash. Assuming the farm is not classified as a continuing business (so the receipts of the sale are not assessable as income from business), will the the disposal of your property (i.e. the produce in this case) give rise to a A1 CGT event, that is, gain from disposal of a CGT asset?

The meaning of “CGT asset” in ITAA 1997 s 108-5 is
(a) any kind of property; or
(b) a legal or equitable right that is not property.

Is there any reason why the food you grow yourself does not fall under the definition of property? (or any other common everyday object like a pencil or box of tissues)

I've been looking over the CGT provisions and appear to have found a solution in subdivision 108-C of ITAA 1997 which exempts "personal use assets" acquired for less than $10000 to be exempt from the operation of CGT, but surely there is a more elegant and simple solution? E.g. what happens if the incidental costs of growing your produce total to more than $10000 but you are still only growing it as a hobby, without any intention to profit from it, yet you find you cannot consume all the produce yourself and sell it to someone else for cash?

Thanks.
 

Suvat

part timer
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
645
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Hey Velox and Brogs :)

It has been established that the word "property" in this context does not only refer to real property such as land and buildings, as it is possible for items such as machinery, memorabilia etc to be subject to capital gains or losses.

However so far I'm unable to find an alternative definition of the term since as it currently stands virtually any physical object can be classified as property, and it defies common sense for receipts of sale of a carrot or a stapler to be considered a capital receipt and thus subject to capital gains tax.
 

Archimedes

New Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2006
Messages
15
Gender
Male
HSC
2003
Not sure if this is an elegant solution, but I'd say the answer is "No".
 

Suvat

part timer
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
645
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Newbie said:
Big Man Tony Whats Happening
Wow you're still here king john :wave: how've you been?

I'm just prodding my way through law school...
 

jpr333

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2003
Messages
478
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2003
Off memory there's a section of the act(s) / definition dealing with income from property, i know there are a tonne of cases.
 

Meads

Drummer Boy
Joined
Jun 19, 2004
Messages
917
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
I believe its a question of whether you are carrying on a business or not. It has no relation to CGT.

All good and well calling it a hobby farm, however you have to establish that is merely for hobby and not for income.

There is a load of case law on the matter, Stevenson v FC of T comes to mind.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top