Sun Newspapers Ltd & Anor v Federal Commissioner of Taxation

61 CLR 337
5 ATD 87

(Judgment by: McTiernan J)

Between: Sun Newspapers Ltd - Appellant
And: Federal Commissioner of Taxation - Respondent
Between: Associated Newspapers Ltd - Appellant
And: Federal Commissioner of Taxation - Respondent

Court:
High Court of Australia

Judges: Rich J (previous judgment)
Latham CJ
Dixon J

McTiernan J

Hearing date:
Judgment date: 23 December 1938


Judgment by:
McTiernan J

I agree that the appeal should be dismissed. In my opinion the judgment of Rich J. was right and I agree with his reasons. I have had the opportunity of reading the reasons for judgment of the Chief Justice and Dixon J., and I agree with them. There is nothing which I wish to add except to quote a passage from the judgment of Lawrence J. in Collins v. Joseph Adamson & Co. [F32] , a case cited by Rich J. from the report in the Times Law Reports [F33] :- "From the case" (Southwell v. Savill Brothers Ltd. [F34] ) " I think it may be deduced that you cannot test the question whether the payment is properly a capital or a revenue payment by seeing whether it can be shown to be productive. Nor do I think that the argument of Mr. King, that what was produced by the expenditure in the present cases was impalpable or intangible or incalculable is a sound argument for holding that is must be treated as of revenue nature. In fact ...the payments which were made had as a result the removal or the prevention of a trade competitor." In my opinion it may be said of the payment now in question, as Lawrence J. said of the payments in question in Collins v. Joseph Adamson & Co. [F35] , that it created for the taxpayer "advantages of an enduring nature, and, I think, of such an enduring nature as properly to be treated as capital, and not to be treated as revenue."

Appeals dismissed with costs.

[F1]
(1915) A.C. 433

[F2]
(1926) A.C. 205

[F3]
(1928) 14 Tax Cas. 229; 140 L.T. 125

[F4]
(1924) 2 K.B., at p. 298

[F5]
(1932) 1 K.B., at pp. 136 and following

[F6]
(1938) 1 K.B., at pp. 485 and following

[F7]
(1926) A.C., at pp. 213, 214

[F8]
(1927) 1 K.B., at p. 739

[F9]
(1938) 1 K.B., at p. 487

[F10]
(1927) 1 K.B., at p. 739

[F11]
(1915) 3 K.B., at p. 273

[F12]
(1915) 3 K.B., at p. 274

[F13]
(1926) A.C., at pp. 213, 214

[F14]
(1932) 145 L.T., at p. 532

[F15]
(1932) 1 K.B., at p. 141

[F16]
(1937) 56 C.L.R. 290

[F17]
(1937) 56 C.L.R., at p. 303

[F18]
(1937) 56 C.L.R., at p. 306

[F19]
(1881) 19 Ch. D. 355; 51 L.J. Ch. 108

[F20]
(1883) 49 L.T., at pp. 337, 338

[F21]
(1897) 13 T.L.R. 477

[F22]
(1938) 1 K.B. 477

[F23]
(1930) S.C. 215, at p. 220; (1929) 12 Tax Cas. 1248

[F24]
(1926) A.C., at pp. 213, 214; 10 Tax Cas. 155

[F25]
(1915) 3 K.B., at p. 273; 6 Tax Cas. 671

[F26]
(1932) 1 K.B. 124; 16 Tax Cas. 253

[F27]
(1921) 2 A.C. 13, at p. 20; 12 Tax Cas. 266

[F28]
(1934) 18 Tax Cas. 691

[F29]
(1928) S.C. 738; 14 Tax Cas. 34

[F30]
(1930) 15 Tax Cas. 390

[F31]
(1938) 1 K.B. 477; 21 Tax Cas. 400

[F32]
(1938) 1 K.B., at p. 488

[F33]
(1937) 54 T.L.R. 64

[F34]
(1901) 2 K.B. 349

[F35]
(1938) 1 K.B., at p. 488


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