Private ruling: Income- solar feed-in tariff scheme
Published: December 2013
Ruling period: Year ended 30 June 2013
Date scheme commenced: 01 July 2012

Ruling: Q1: Are payments or credits that you receive from your electricity retailer and provider for the generation of electricity from a solar system assessable income under section 6-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)? | A1: Yes.

Relevant facts and circumstances: You own a property which houses your private residence but is also used for income production. You have installed a solar panel system on your shed which cost you $X. You received a total of $Y back from the feed-in tariff scheme in the 20YY financial year.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-5 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-10

Reasons for decision: Summary: Assessable income is made up of ordinary income and statutory income. Section 6-10 of the ITAA 1997 provides that assessable income includes statutory income which constitutes amounts made assessable by specific statutory provisions. There are no specific legislative provisions relating to money or credits received from electricity suppliers therefore such amounts are not statutory income. Subsection 6-5(1) of the ITAA 1997 defines ordinary income as income 'according to ordinary concepts'. Under subsection 6-5(2) of the ITAA 1997, the assessable income of an Australian resident includes the ordinary income derived directly or indirectly from all sources during the income year. The tax legislation does not provide specific guidance on the meaning of income according to ordinary concepts. However, a substantial body of case law exists which identifies likely characteristics. In determining whether an amount is ordinary income, the courts have established the following principles: · what receipts ought to be treated as income must be determined in accordance with the ordinary concepts and usages of mankind, except in so far as a statute dictates otherwise · whether the payment received is income depends upon a close examination of all relevant circumstances · whether the payment received is income is an objective test. Relevant factors in determining whether an amount is ordinary income include: · whether the payment is the product of any employment, services rendered, or any business · the quality or character of the payment in the hands of the recipient · the form of the receipt, that is, whether it is received as a lump sum or periodically · the motive of the person making the payment, but noting that this latter factor is rarely decisive, as a mix of motives may exist. In GP International Pipecoaters Pty Ltd v. Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1990) 170 CLR 124; 90 ATC 4413 at 4420; (1990) 21 ATR 1 the Full High Court stated: To determine whether a receipt is of an income or of a capital nature, various factors may be relevant. Sometimes the character of receipts will be revealed most clearly by their periodicity, regularity or recurrence; sometimes, by the character of a right or thing disposed of in exchange for the receipt; sometimes, by the scope of the transaction, venture or business in or by reason of which money is received and by the recipient's purpose in engaging in the transaction, venture or business. Ultimately, whether or not a particular receipt is ordinary income depends on its character in the hands of the recipient. The whole of the circumstances must be considered. Amounts that are periodical, regular or recurrent, relied upon by the recipient for their regular expenditure and paid to them for that purpose are likely to be ordinary income. In addition, receipts from property or investments that are on commercial terms and/or that indicate an intention to make a profit from an activity are also likely to be ordinary income. A solar system is considered to be the property of its owner. Receipts received in connection with it, therefore, are potentially assessable income. Consequently, it needs to be determined, in light of the nature and the circumstances of the receipt, whether the payments or credits received in return for transfer of electricity to the grid are income. In determining whether or not the payments are assessable income, the factual circumstances, and in particular whether the receipts indicate an activity that is more than private or domestic in nature, need to be considered. The following are important: · the terms of the arrangement with the electricity retailer and in particular any requirement on the retailer to buy all electricity that is generated from the system (as occurs under a gross feed in tariff scheme) · the feed-in tariff payments and whether they are considered to represent a return on your investment in the solar system · whether there is a realistic opportunity for you to profit from the arrangement · the regularity of payments/credits received from the feed-in tariffs such that they can be relied upon. | Detailed Reasoning - Application to your situation: Based on your factual circumstances, it is considered that the credits you would receive on your electricity account (or payment for credits) are ordinary income because: The scheme is more than private or domestic nature, this being demonstrated by · the size of the system you have chosen to install is quite sizeable and has a capacity in excess of the needs of a typical household · the amount of electricity generated by the system being significantly greater than the domestic consumption requirements of your household · there is a realistic opportunity for you to profit from the arrangement. Consequently, any credits (and payment of credits) received for the electricity generated by the solar system and sold to the electricity grid would be considered to be assessable income.