Private ruling: Foreign income year basis for returning foreign income
Published: November 2013
Ruling period: Year ended 30 June 2013 | Year ending 30 June 2014 | Year ending 30 June 2015 | Year ending 30 June 2016 | Year ending 30 June 2017
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2012

Ruling: Question and answer | Will the Commissioner allow you to return your foreign sourced income on a foreign income year basis on your Australian income tax return? | Yes.

Relevant facts and circumstances: You are a resident of Australia for taxation purposes. Your tax returns are prepared by a tax agent. Your tax agent has difficulty obtaining information relating to your foreign income in a timely manner in order to prepare your Australian tax returns by your due date. This is due to the information not being available to finalise as a result of regulatory and reporting requirements imposed by the relevant foreign authorities. The foreign entities from which you derive assessable income primarily invest in passive listed investments that are accounted for on a different tax year end basis to Australia. The investments include interest, dividends and pensions. Your foreign advisors then need time to collate and report that information to your Australian tax agents who then need time to convert that information to Australian dollars and contemplate the relevant Australian tax implications.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-5

Reasons for decision: Summary: The general rule is that for income tax purposes an individual taxpayer will be required to disclose in his or her Australian tax return the amount of foreign income derived during the Australian financial year. It has been recognised in the past that where an individual taxpayer's foreign source accounts have been prepared on a basis other than the year ended 30 June, difficulty can be experienced in dissecting the income for the purposes of returning on a strict Australian income year basis. The Commissioner has issued Taxation Ruling IT 2498 Income Tax: foreign tax credit system: currency translation of foreign income: trading stock and depreciable plant: basis of returning foreign income: capital gains/losses (IT 2498) which addresses the issue of foreign income and expenses to be returned for an Australian year of income where foreign accounts and/or tax apply on a different basis. Specifically, paragraph 39 of IT 2498 states: … individual taxpayers who are required to prepare foreign source income accounts on a basis other than a year ending 30 June and who can demonstrate difficulties in dissecting the income/expenses for the purposes of returning on a strict Australian income year basis in relation to a year of income, may be permitted to return the foreign source income in his or her Australian return for that year of income on the relevant foreign income year basis. … You are in receipt of foreign source income. As a result of regulatory and reporting requirements imposed by the relevant foreign tax authorities you face significant difficulty in obtaining information in relation to the foreign income within a suitable timeframe to include in your Australian tax return by your lodgment due date. From the information provided the Commissioner accepts that your circumstances fall within those outlined in IT 2498 and will allow you to return the foreign sourced income on the foreign income year basis on your Australian tax return. If the difficulties which have warranted you being allowed to return foreign income on the foreign income year basis cease to exist, you will be required to return the foreign sourced income on the Australian year of income basis.