Federal Court Overturns AAT's Tax Resident Decision

The Federal Court has recently overturned an Administrative Appeals Tribunal ('AAT') decision that a taxpayer was a resident of Australia for tax purposes (even though he was mostly living and working overseas during the relevant period).

The taxpayer was a mechanical engineer who became an Australian citizen in 1978.

He lived and worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from September 2015 until 2020, and he spent less than two months in Australia for each of the 2017 to 2020 income years visiting his family.

The AAT nevertheless held that he was a tax resident of Australia for each of the 2016 to 2020 income years, as he "maintained an intention to return to Australia and an attitude that Australia remained his home."

On appeal to the Federal Court, the taxpayer succeeded in having the AAT's decision overturned.

The Federal Court held, in considering whether the taxpayer was a resident of Australia according to 'ordinary concepts', that the AAT applied the wrong test, confusing it with the 'domicile test'.

Also, in relation to the 'domicile test', the Federal Court noted that the AAT further misunderstood how to establish that a person had a 'permanent place of abode' outside of Australia.

The Federal Court accordingly held that the taxpayer's appeal be allowed, and the matter be remitted to the AAT for determination according to law (i.e., the AAT needs to reconsider the matter).

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