19th December 2013
EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM ATO TO MOBILE HOME RESIDENTS
Federal Member for Forde, Bert van Manen MP, welcomes the decision by the Australian Taxation Office to withdraw its draft ruling seeking to apply GST to sites fees.
Mr van Manen is pleased the Tax Office has given these residents an early Christmas present by announcing it won’t go ahead with a change its interpretation of this GST law.
“The decision removes months of uncertainty that would have been hanging over the heads of my constituents,” he said.
“The ATO’s decision means there will be no change to the longstanding GST treatment of rented mobile homes.”
Locally, Mr van Manen assisted more than 3,000 residents in making submissions to the ATO to oppose the draft ruling.
“This positive outcome is a testament to the retirement community in Forde, who rallied together to oppose the ATO’s proposal,” he said.
Submissions about the draft ruling convinced the ATO that mobile home estates and caravan parks are similar enough to receive the same GST treatment – both involve letting sites separately to the home and the use of shared facilities.
“This is a sensible decision by the Tax Office to stick with its interpretation of the Howard Government’s GST legislation that puts residents of mobile home estates on the same footing as those in caravan parks.”
ENDS
