Private ruling: Non-commercial losses
Published: September 2014
Ruling period: Year ended 30 June 20XX
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2011

Ruling: Q1: Will the Commissioner exercise the discretion in paragraph 35-55(1)(a) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) to allow you to include any losses from your business activity in your calculation of taxable income for the 2011-12 financial year? | A1: No.

Relevant facts and circumstances: You are a partner in a partnership and also a sole trader in business. In the relevant financial year you received a high remuneration as a one-off event that contributed to you not meeting the income requirement of Division 35 of the ITAA 1997.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 35-10(1) | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 35-10(2) | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 35-10(2E) | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 paragraph 35-55(1)(a)

Reasons for decision: Summary: For the 2009-10 and later financial years, Division 35 of the ITAA 1997 will apply to defer a non-commercial loss from a business activity unless: • you satisfy the income requirement and you pass one of the four tests • the exceptions apply, or • the Commissioner exercises his discretion. In your situation, you do not satisfy the income requirement and you do not come under any of the exceptions. The Commissioner's discretion may be exercised for the financial year in question where your business activity is affected by special circumstances outside your control. For individuals who do not satisfy the income requirement, the business activity must have been materially affected by the special circumstances, causing it to make a loss. In this context, the Commissioner may exercise this discretion for the income year in question where, but for the special circumstances: • your business activity would have made a tax profit • the activity passes at least one of the four tests or, but for the special circumstances, would have passed one of the four tests. Taxation Ruling TR 2007/6 Income Tax: non-commercial business losses: Commissioner's discretion sets out the Commissioner's interpretation of the exercise of the Commissioner's discretion under paragraph 35-55(1)(a) of the ITAA 1997. The following has been extracted from paragraphs 47 to 53 of this ruling: Although not limited to natural disasters, paragraph 35-55(1)(a) of the ITAA 1997 refers to special circumstances outside the control of the business activity, including drought, flood, bushfire or some other natural disaster. Cyclones, hailstorms and tsunamis are examples of other natural disasters that would come within the scope of the paragraph. These events are taken to be special circumstances outside the control of the operators of the business activity. The special circumstances must have affected the business activity. In your case, you received a high remuneration as a one-off event in the relevant financial year. Receiving this payment did not affect your business enterprise, causing it to make a loss. Instead it caused you to fail the income requirement under subsection 35-10(2E) of the ITAA 1997. This is not considered to be 'special circumstances' for the purposes of paragraph 35-55(1)(a) of the ITAA 1997. There is no other discretion available to the Commissioner in Division 35 of the ITAA 1997 that would allow you to claim your losses in the circumstances you describe.