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Australian carbon credit units

Work out if you are entitled to concessional tax treatment for Australian carbon credit units.

Last updated 2 July 2023

ACCUs may be issued to primary producers under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 in relation to eligible offsets projects they undertake. They may also be acquired from a third party such as a carbon credit service provider that holds such units.

If you are an eligible individual primary producer you may be entitled to concessional tax treatment for any:

  • eligible ACCUs you start to hold on or after 1 July 2022 as a result of an eligible offsets project associated with your primary production business
  • income attributable to eligible ACCUs you receive from a partnership or trust that carries on a primary production business
  • eligible ACCUs or eligible income you received from an eligible arrangement with a carbon service provider.

The concessions are available only to eligible individuals, and the conditions you need to meet, depend on whether:

  • you are carrying on a primary production business as a sole trader, or as a partnership
  • you are the beneficiary of a trust that is carrying on a primary production business
  • an arrangement with a carbon service provider is involved.

If you are an eligible primary producer, the concessions you may be entitled to are that:

  • For the purposes of the Farm Management Deposit (FMD) Scheme and accessing the income tax averaging rules:
    • The proceeds from the sale of eligible ACCUs will be treated as primary production income.
    • Related deductions will be treated as primary production deductions.
     
  • You will not be assessed on the change in value of eligible ACCUs you started to hold on or after 1 July 2022 each year. You will only be assessed on the proceeds from the sale of eligible ACCUs first held on or after 1 July 2022.

For more information including eligibility, see Taxation of Australian carbon credit units for primary producers.

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