Melbourne Law School The Melbourne Law Masters

Home > Subjects

Subjects 2008


Corporate Taxation A (Shareholders, Debt and Equity) 730629

Objectives

A candidate who has successfully completed the subject should:

  • Have an understanding of the policies, detailed rules and current practical problems involved in the taxation of companies and shareholders, particularly at the shareholder level
  • Have an advanced understanding of the policies underlying Australia’s corporate tax system
  • Have a detailed knowledge of the technical detail of the rules for the taxation of companies and their shareholders in Australia, particularly at the shareholder level.
Syllabus

The subject consists of a detailed overview of the principal tax rules applied to companies and shareholders in a domestic setting in Australia, with a focus on corporate tax issues at the shareholder level. Students may also (but are not obliged to) complete Corporate Taxation B (Companies and Consolidation), which has a focus on corporate tax issues at the company level, for a full coverage of corporate taxation.

Principal topics will include:

  • The policy and problems of taxing companies and shareholders
  • The ‘simplified imputation system’
  • Taxation treatment of contributions of share capital and assets to a company
  • Share value shifting
  • Taxation of company distributions and dealings with interests in companies, including liquidations and share repurchases
  • Private company deemed dividends
  • Franking credit and capital streaming and associated anti-avoidance rules
  • Debt-equity classification.