LAWS352-15S2 (C) Semester Two 2015

Selected Issues in Taxation

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2015
End Date: Sunday, 15 November 2015
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 26 July 2015
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 October 2015

Description

An introduction to income tax. The course also includes consideration of taxpayers' rights and obligations, tax planning and tax avoidance, the role of lawyers in tax investigations and dispute resolution, comparative tax law and practice.

Lawyers, as well as Accountants, have an important role to play in the field of taxation, particularly in advising clients in respect of their liability to tax, in acting for them in dealings with the Inland Revenue Department and appearing for them before the Taxation Review Authority and the Courts.  This course discusses some of the key areas in the field of taxation that are relevant to lawyers in practice.

The course will include:
•  Introduction - Overview of the tax system.  
•  Tax jurisdiction - the concept of residence and derivation of income.  
•  The concept of income and capital – including the taxation of business profits and personal property sales.  
•  The tax treatment of items of expenditure including the treatment of interest costs, the prohibition for deducting capital expenditure and the treatment of repairs and maintenance.  
•  Goods and Services Tax – an introduction.
•  Review of taxpayers' rights and obligations.  The Inland Revenue's Taxpayers Charter will be considered.
•  The role of lawyers in tax investigations and dispute resolution.  Legal professional privilege and tax advice non-disclosure right will be reviewed.  
•  The topic will also consider the John George Russell and the "Russell tax template".  Tax planning, tax avoidance, the abusive tax position and tax evasion.  Recent cases will be reviewed.

Learning Outcomes

The objects of this course are to provide students with an overview of selected parts of the tax system in New Zealand, focussing on the income tax, as well as the operational aspects and the role of lawyers.  It is not intended to provide a comprehensive coverage of all major tax issues.

Prerequisites

(i) LAWS101; and (ii) LAWS110

Restrictions

LAWS394 (1999), LAWS395 (2000-2001)

Co-requisites

Timetable Note

Tutorials will be conducted during the course.

Course Coordinator / Lecturers

Andrew Maples and Adrian Sawyer

Lecturer

Alistair Hodson

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Evening Test 17 Sep 2015 50%
Final Examination 50%


The assessment may be an essay and a final examination.  The assessment will be confirmed in the first week of lectures.

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

CCH; 2015 NZ Tax Legislation for Students ; CCH, 2015.

CCH; Master Tax Guide ; CCH, 2015.

Thomson Reuters; NZ Taxation 2015 Principles, Cases and Questions ; Thomson Reuters, 2015.

Thomson Reuters; Taxation Legislation Handbook 2015 ; Thomson Reuters, 2015.

Readings will be made available on LEARN http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id.

Students should have access to:

•  The Income Tax Act 2007; Tax Administration Act 1994; Goods and Services Tax Act 1985.

•  Thomson Reuters, Taxation Legislation Handbook 2015 or CCH 2015 NZ Tax Legislation for Students; (your legislation needs to have the Income Tax Act 2007).  Note: 2014 copies of these works are also acceptable. The full legislation is also available on the New Zealand Legislation website and via the Westlaw NZ/Thomson Reuters Tax Service on the UC Library website (Accessible on-line via the Library catalogue > Title begins with > Tax Service).

•  Thomson Reuters, New Zealand Taxation 2015 Principles, Cases and Questions or CCH, Master Tax Guide, 2015.

All other materials will be posted on Learn for students to download and/or print.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $737.00

International fee $3,450.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Faculty of Law .

All LAWS352 Occurrences

  • LAWS352-15S2 (C) Semester Two 2015