Tax is not simply 30% of profit

Tax compliance large corporate groups

Determining tax compliance of large corporate groups is never simple. There are inherent risks due to business complexity and uncertainties around the law.

Community interest in the behaviour of large corporate groups, particularly in multinational enterprises, has remained high. These entities have been seen as trying to minimise their tax or avoid paying tax, including through shifting profits away from Australia.

The policy underpinning Australia’s tax laws generally means that Australian companies only pay tax on their Australian profits (active and passive) and their foreign passive profits.

Discussions about corporate tax often focus on the tax rate of 30%, linking it to the company’s announced accounting profit. However, we can’t draw conclusions about tax behaviour solely on a reported tax rate. We talk about this in our annual report of entity tax information.

Corporate groups may have lower taxable incomes than economic profits or pay no tax for a range of reasons.

For more information, see Report of entity tax information.

Business losses

The tax law recognises companies can and do incur business losses. It allows these losses to be:

• carried forward and recouped for tax purposes against subsequent profits
• carried back and recouped against prior year profits in specific circumstances.

The same business, similar business and continuity of ownership tests provide integrity to the loss rules. Taxable income can be reduced by losses incurred in previous years, reducing the company's taxable income below its accounting profit.

The proportion of the company population that incur losses in any given year is significant and expected as part of the normal business cycle. For example, over the past 10 years, 20% to 30% of Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) 500 companies have reported a net operating loss in any given year, according to their financial reports.

Special tax rules for trusts

Trusts are widely used for investment and business purposes by large corporate groups. Trusts are treated as taxpayer entities for tax purposes. The trustee is responsible for managing the trust’s tax affairs, including paying some tax liabilities.

When shares in some companies are sold together with units in an associated trust, they are said to be ‘stapled’ together. Income from the trust is returned by the unit holder in their return rather than by the company. This results in company taxable income returned being much less than total business profits but this is offset by the tax payable at the unit holder level.

Tax concessions

Some features of tax law are designed to stimulate investment and economic growth. These various exemptions and concessions may also explain, in part, why some corporate groups appear to pay tax at a rate less than 30% of their accounting profit (and less than 30% of their taxable income).

Tax concessions include:

• research and development tax incentive to promote innovation and the social and economic benefits innovation brings
• capital allowances to encourage business investment through shorter effective lives of assets for tax purposes than for accounting purposes, with particular policy concessions for:  
  • certain exploration expenditure
  • capped effective lives for certain depreciating assets
  • economic stimulus measures to support eligible businesses.

By deferring tax to the later years of an asset's useful life, capital allowances give rise to earlier positive cash flows.

Australian companies expanding offshore

Australian corporate groups may benefit by investing offshore to access larger markets, new technologies and business processes. These benefits can flow through to the Australian economy and society more generally.

Active business profits Australian companies or their subsidiaries earn offshore are generally not taxed in Australia, either when they are earned or later as dividends. This allows Australian corporate groups to compete on a level playing field offshore. It also encourages Australian companies to earn foreign income and bring it back to Australia.

Australia doesn't tax capital gains on sales of offshore active businesses.

Offshore companies investing in Australia

Overlaying our Australian tax rules is a network of tax treaties to assist in:

• reducing tax barriers for international trade and investment
• fostering cooperation with other international tax authorities
• ensuring fair taxation.

If a taxpayer thinks they have been subject to double taxation, our treaties provide a mutual agreement procedure to resolve the dispute between the respective jurisdictions.

For more information, see the Mutual agreement procedure.

Investing in Australian companies

Under the imputation system, a share of corporate tax paid is imputed to shareholders. The shareholder reports both the dividend they receive and an imputed amount of corporate tax. The imputation or franking credit offsets the shareholder’s tax liabilities.

An Australian company that has a stake in another Australian company will not pay tax on a dividend twice. If the other company pays a fully franked dividend, it will not be taxable again in the hands of the shareholding company. This is even though it may be included in the accounting profits of the shareholding company.