Private ruling: GST and variation of your monthly GST reporting
Published: June 2015
Ruling period: Not applicable
Date scheme commenced: Not applicable

Ruling: Q1: Can you vary the monthly reporting periods to align with your company's own accounting periods? | A1: Yes. You can vary the monthly reporting periods to align with your own company's accounting periods under section 27-35 of the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (GST Act).

Relevant facts and circumstances: • You are the representative member of a goods and service tax (GST) group and you are responsible for lodging the business activity statement (BAS) on behalf of the group. • The members of the GST group adopt the same accounting periods. • The proposed tax periods commence and end within 7 days of each month end. • The tax periods specified will result in 12 complete tax periods in the year. • The annual turnover for the GST group exceeds the tax period turnover threshold of $20 million.

Relevant legislative provisions: A New Tax System (Goods and Services tax) Act 1999 - section 27-35

Reasons for decision: Summary: Section 27-35 of the GST Act provides for the changing of days on which your tax period ends. Section 27-35 of the GST Act states: (1) You may change the day in each year on which a tax period would otherwise end. However: (a) the day must be no more than 7 days earlier or 7 days later than a day on which one of the tax periods that applies to you would otherwise end if the days were not changed; and (b) the change must be consistent with the commercial accounting periods that apply to you. (2) If the day on which a tax period ends is changed, the next tax period starts on the day after that day. On the facts provided, you satisfy the requirements of section 27-35 of the GST Act as the variation is within seven days of the calendar month tax period. Therefore, the tax periods specified in your request may be used by you for GST reporting purposes. Please note that choosing to align tax periods with commercial accounting periods does not change the due dates for lodging BASs or making payments.