Taxation

The AH tax team focuses on providing the best tax result for the commercial transactions in which clients of the firm engage. This not only involves taking advantage of opportunities to reduce tax at the outset, but to resolving problems arising from transactions entered into without adequate prior tax advice, and the unintended consequences on transactions of widely drafted tax legislation.

Tax planning is typically a fundamental part of structuring a corporate acquisition, joint venture, investment fund, property venture, project or asset finance or capital markets transaction. For this reason AH has always thought it essential to be able to provide clients with specialist strategic taxation advice for such transactions. We often work with clients' existing taxation advisers (whether internal or external), it being our general experience that both such clients and their existing taxation advisers find our specialist contributions to be constructive and valuable.

Tax practitioners in the firm have advised on the Australian tax consequences of many of the largest transactions that have occurred both in Australia and overseas. The firm has a particular specialty in advising on the taxation consequences of cross-border transactions. It regularly advises some of Australia's largest multi-national corporations in respect of their dealings in Australia and overseas and on significant off-shore investment into Australia. The firm also has extensive experience in resolving large case tax audits which are now carried out as a routine matter by the Australian Taxation Office. Advice given is not only in relation to Australian income and capital gains tax, but also in regard to the various transaction taxes in Australia, for example, stamp duties, sales taxes and goods and services tax.