Bills Digest No. 235 1997-98
Taxation Laws Amendment (Landcare and Water Facility Tax Offset) Bill
1998
WARNING:
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as introduced
and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest does not have
any official legal status. Other sources should be consulted to determine
the subsequent official status of the Bill.
CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Endnotes
Contact Officer and Copyright Details
Taxation Laws Amendment (Landcare and Water Facility Tax Offset) Bill
1998
Date Introduced: 28
May 1998
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Treasury
Commencement: The
amendments described in this Digest commence on Royal Assent and apply
from the 1997-98 income year.
To allow a tax offset (rebate) for
eligible expenditure by primary producers on conserving or conveying water
or on the prevention or treatment of land degradation. The rebate applies
to expenditure incurred before the end of the 2000-2001 income year.
Water Facilities
Currently, Division 387-B of the Income Tax Assessment
Act 1997 (the 1997 Act) allows a deduction over three years for expenditure
on conveying or conserving water, including capital expenditure for such
purposes. The three year deduction period represents an accelerated rate
of deduction compared to the normal capital depreciation rules. One third
of the expenditure is deductible in each of the three years. To qualify
for the deduction a number of conditions must be met, the most important
being:
- that the expenditure relates to capital or recurrent expenditure carried
out by a taxpayer who is a primary producer in Australia and is carrying
out primary production on the land to which the expenditure relates
- the expenditure relates to the acquisition, construction or installation
of plant or structural improvements related to the conservation or conveyance
of water and
- the expenditure must be incurred primarily or principally for the
conveyance or conservation of water.
Items covered by the accelerated deduction include dams,
water tanks, bores, wells, irrigation channels and pipes.
The problems associated with water conservation impose
many ecological and economic difficulties for Australia. The diversion
of water for economic purposes such as irrigation has resulted in severe
ecological effects in rivers such as the Snowy, where the river flow has
been reduced to minimal levels. There are also substantial salinity problems
associated with the change in flows of rivers and the diversion of water
for irrigation, as demonstrated in the Murray-Darling Basin. While irrigation
is an essential part of the production of a substantial portion of Australia's
primary produce, the use of open channels for irrigation where evaporation
and leakage are major problems. The tax concessions available provide
encouragement for the use of piped irrigation water which can result in
a higher effective use of the available water.
Land Degradation
The reduction in the quality of Australia's soil is of
major concern, with consequences such as reduced productivity and soil
erosion. It has been estimated that financial losses from land and water
degradation amount to approximately $1.4 billion per year.(1) The Commonwealth
became increasingly involved in funding to prevent or combat land degradation
in the 1980s, with tax concessions introduced in 1980. Since then there
have been a number of other programs designed to assist in the prevention
or combating of land degradation, including:
- the National Soil Conservation Program introduced in 1983
- the removal of tax concessions for tree clearing
- the Commonwealth/State agreement on the Murray-Darling Basin and
- the One Billion Tree program.
Since the early 1990s the principal focus has been in
the Landcare programs. Landcare Australia was incorporated as a non-profit
company in 1989 and includes representatives of the Commonwealth, Australian
Conservation Foundation and the National Farmers' Federation. Landcare
promotes public awareness and encourages public participation in landcare
activities. It supports and liases with local landcare groups and distributes
funds to local landcare groups. Landcare Australia's principal means of
funding are Commonwealth grants and sponsorship, donations and licence
fees. In 1997, Landcare Australia received $1.11 million in Commonwealth
grants and $1.33 million in sponsorship, donations and licence fees. The
National Landcare Program is administered by the Department of Primary
Industries and Energy. In 1996-97 the Government announced the establishment
of National Heritage Trust which is to provide $1.25 billion over 6 years
to 2001-02 for activities relating to conservation and sustainable management
of Australia's land, water and biodiversity.(2)
A deduction is allowed for capital expenditure by a primary
producer or a person carrying on a business to gain assessable income
from rural land where the expenditure is for:
- the eradication of animal or vegetable pests
- the destruction of weeds or plant growth detrimental to the land
- preventing or combating land degradation other than by the erection
of fences (eg. to combat erosion)
- the erection of fences to keep out stock and vermin from areas affected
by land degradation for the purpose of combating or preventing land
degradation
- the erection of fences to divide the land into different classes where
this is done in accordance with a land management plan
- the construction of levee banks or similar structures and
- the construction of land drainage works.
With the exception of the construction of levee banks
and similar structures, the expenditure must be primarily and principally
for one of the above purposes (section 387-55 of the 1997 Act).
Prior to the 1996 general election, the Coalition announced
that it proposed the introduction of a rebate as an alternative to the
deductions that can be claimed for water facilities and landcare expenditure.
The deduction is most useful where the taxpayer's assessable income is
sufficient to enable the full value of the deduction to be accessed, ie.
when the taxpayer is on the highest marginal tax rate. As the taxpayer's
assessable income falls, so does the value of the deduction. In contrast,
a rebate reduces the amount of tax payable equally regardless of the income
of the taxpayer (assuming the amount of tax payable is at least the amount
of the rebate that can be claimed).
Further details of the proposed rebate were announced
by the Treasurer and the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy in
a Press Release dated 12 May 1998 and included:
- the rebate would be funded by $80 million from the National Heritage
Fund
- the rate of rebate would be 34 cents in the dollar
- the maximum expenditure subject to the rebate would be $5 000 for
water facilities and $5 000 for Landcare projects
- the rebate would only be available to taxpayers with an income up
to $20 700 a year (ie. those on the lowest marginal tax rate) and
- if a taxpayer could not use the full rebate in a year (which will
occur when the amount of tax they are liable for is less than the rebate)
the remainder will be carried forward to later years.
The Press Release did not refer to the fact that the
rebate will only be available for expenditure before the end of the 2000-2001
income year.
The rebate will be introduced by proposed Division
388 which will be inserted into the 1997 Act by item 13 of Schedule
1 of the Bill. Proposed section 388-55 provides that if a taxpayer
could claim a deduction in relation to water facilities or landcare, they
will be able to claim a tax offset (ie. a rebate) of a maximum of $5 000
in relation to each type of expenditure so long as the taxpayer's taxable
income is $20 700 or less and the expenditure is incurred before the end
of the 2000-2001 income year.
The rate of rebate will be 34% for landcare expenditure
and 34% of one third of the expenditure on water facilities in the income
year and the succeeding 2 years
Proposed Division 65, which will be inserted into
the 1997 Act by item 8, deals with the carrying forward of proposed
Division 388 tax offsets. The priority order for tax offsets is foreign
tax credits, then landcare and water facilities and finally any other
tax offsets as listed in the Act. The amount carried forward will be that
not previously claimed, less:
- any amount used to offset a higher priority offset and
- if the taxpayer has taxable income during the year, 34% of any net
exempt income.
Tax offsets must be applied in the reverse of the priority
order, so that general tax offsets are to be applied first, then the landcare
and water facility offset and, finally, foreign tax credits (proposed
section 65-35).
Generally, a company will not be able to use a tax offset
if it would not be allowed as a deduction due to subdivision 165-A of
the 1997 Act (which prevents deductions where there has been a change
in ownership or control in the loss year).
Application: For the 1997-98 and later income years.
- Australian National Audit Office, Report No. 36, 3.
- Ibid., 4.
Chris Field
24 June 1998
Bills Digest Service
Information and Research Services
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 1998
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library, 1998.
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