Meat processor JBS Australia has appointed new legal representation in a battle with the Australian Taxation Office over the scope of privilege attached to thousands of documents produced by its tax adviser, PricewaterhouseCoopers, after a judge raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest in PwC’s representation of its client.
A judge has ordered Carlton United Breweries, maker of iconic Australian beers Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught, to hand over information to the Commissioner of Taxation relating to an audit of the beer giant.
The Australian Taxation Office has reached a $138 million settlement in proceedings against Israel Discount Bank, the last remaining defendant in a long-running case over an alleged international tax evasion scheme involving the Binetter family, founders of Nudie Juice.
The Commissioner of Taxation has failed in his bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a bankrupt migration lawyer who fled to Romania and owes $4.7 million in taxes, but has managed to strike out some claims a judge found had “no reasonable prospect of success”.
Wine making family Forbes and one of its companies, Zilzie Wines, have launched legal action against PricewaterhouseCoopers alleging the professional services firm provided it with shonky tax advice that resulted in over $200,000 in loss and damages.
Assurances that PwC can be a defendant in a privilege fight with the ATO while representing three other defendants in the proceedings and avoid a conflict of interest has failed to allay concerns raised by a Federal Court judge, who said the situation created “at least an appearance of tension”.
A court battle between the Australian Taxation Office and PricewaterhouseCoopers over the scope of legal professional privilege claimed by one of its major clients, meat processing giant JBS Australia, has hit a preliminary snag over the consulting giant’s representation of JBS, with a judge warning he might compel the company and its subsidiaries to engage independent lawyers.
The Australian Taxation Office has been blocked from indirectly recouping GST lost in a major tax scam by allegedly crooked gold traders with the Full Federal Court finding a $208 million demand sent to a defunct gold refiner had incorrectly interpreted the GST Act.
Mining giant Glencore has mostly defeated an appeal by the Australian Taxation Office in their tax fight, and will only have to pay $2 million of a $92 million bill relating to the sale of copper from a mine in Cobar, NSW.
The Australian Taxation Office is challenging a victory by two Crown Resorts’ casinos in a $100 million dispute over GST assessments on commissions and rebates paid to tour operators that directed international VIP gamblers to the casinos.