Private ruling: Sale of property
Published: April 2013
Ruling period: Year ending 30 June 2013 | Year ending 30 June 2014
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2012

Ruling: Q1: Are the proceeds from the sale of the subdivided land assessable as ordinary income under section 6-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 ? | A1: Yes. | Q2: Are the proceeds from the sale of the subdivided land assessable as a capital gain? | A2: No.

Relevant facts and circumstances: You and your spouse purchased land. The land was purchased in a single transaction. It had already been subdivided and there were X separate titles. The land is located in a subdivision that is not fully developed. At the time you and your spouse intended to build houses on the lots to sell. At one stage you and your spouse intended to live in one of the houses, but this did not eventuate. You and your spouse had power connected and also had contractors lay gravel down on the road. You and your spouse do not intend to carry out any further works on the land. You and your spouse obtained a loan to purchase the properties and to fund the additional works. You and your spouse have never been involved in this type of activity previously.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 6-5 and | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 118-20.

Reasons for decision: Summary: You and your spouse have completed works on X blocks of subdivided land and now intend to sell the lots. Therefore, we will need to determine whether the proceeds to be received on the sale of the subdivided lots: · is assessable ordinary income under section 6-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) as you were carrying on a business of property development · is assessable ordinary income under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997 as you conducted an isolated commercial transaction with a view to a profit, or · is a realisation of a capital asset and assessable under the capital gains tax provisions of the ITAA 1997. | Detailed Reasoning - Assessable as ordinary income: Carrying on a business of property development It has been stated that you and your spouse have never been involved in property development and have no expertise relevant to property subdivision activities. Therefore, it is accepted that any proceeds received from the sale of the subdivided land would not be derived in the course of carrying on a business. Isolated commercial transaction with a view to profit Profits arising from an isolated business or commercial transaction will be ordinary income if the taxpayer's purpose or intention in entering into the transaction is to make a profit, even though the transaction may not be part of the ordinary activities of the taxpayer's business ( FC of T v. Myer Emporium Ltd 1987 163 CLR 199; 87 ATC 4363; 18 ATR 693) (Myer Emporium). Taxation Ruling TR 92/3 considers the principles outlined in the Myer Emporium case and provides guidance in determining whether profits from isolated transactions are assessable under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997 as ordinary income. TR 92/3 defines the term 'isolated transactions' as: · transactions outside the ordinary course of business of a taxpayer carrying on a business, and · transactions entered into by non business taxpayers. It is not necessary that the intention or purpose of profit-making be the sole or dominant intention or purpose for entering into the transaction. It is sufficient if profit-making is a significant purpose. If a taxpayer makes a profit from a transaction or operation, that profit is income if the transaction or operation is not in the course of the taxpayers business but: · the intention or purpose of the taxpayer in entering into the profit-making transaction or operation was to make a profit or gain, and · the transaction or operation was entered into, and the profit was made, in carrying out a business operation or commercial transaction. Whether an isolated transaction is business or commercial in character will depend on the circumstances of each case. Where a taxpayer's activities have become a separate business operation or commercial transaction, the profits on the sale of subdivided land can be assessed as ordinary income within section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997. TR 92/3 lists the following factors to be considered: a) the nature of the entity undertaking the operation or transaction b) the nature and scale of other activities undertaken by the taxpayer c) the amount of money involved in the operation or transaction and the magnitude of the profit sought or obtained d) the nature, scale and complexity of the operation or transaction e) the manner in which the operation or transaction was entered into or carried out f) the nature of any connection between the relevant taxpayer and any other party to the operation or transaction g) if the transaction involves the acquisition and disposal of property, the nature of that property, and h) the timing of the transaction or the various steps in the transaction. In addition to the above general factors, Miscellaneous Taxation Ruling MT 2006/1 provides a list of specific factors relevant to isolated transactions and sales of real property. If several of the factors are present, it may be an indication that a business or an adventure or concern in the nature of trade is being carried on. These factors are as follows: § there is a change of purpose for which the land is held; § additional land is acquired to be added to the original parcel of land; § the parcel of land is brought into account as a business asset; § there is a coherent plan for the subdivision of the land; § there is a business organisation - for example a manager, office and letterhead; § borrowed funds financed the acquisition or subdivision; § interest on money borrowed to defray subdivisional costs was claimed as a business expense; § there is a level of development of the land beyond that necessary to secure council approval for the subdivision; and § buildings have been erected on the land. No single factor is determinative; rather it will be a combination of factors that will lead to a conclusion as to the character of the activities. | Detailed Reasoning - Application to your circumstances: Having regard to your circumstances and the factors outlined above we consider the proceeds will be considered ordinary assessable income under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997. | Detailed Reasoning - Assessable under the capital gains tax provisions: Section 118-20 of the ITAA 1997 primarily exists to ensure that amounts which are assessable income outside of the CGT provisions are not also taxed as capital gains. In the absence of such a provision, it is conceivable that a receipt properly characterised as ordinary income and which has also been derived as a result of a CGT event could result in the receipt being taxed twice. Therefore, whilst CGT event A1 will happen when the fund sell the blocks of land, any capital gain will be disregarded to the extent of any amount already included as ordinary assessable income under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997.