Barcia Pty Ltd (as Trustee for Barcia Trust) and Commissioner of Taxation [2008]
 
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) backed the Commissioner who had ruled that the applicant was not entitled to all of the input tax credits (ITC) he had claimed in the purchase of two properties. The Tribunal also confirmed that penalties had been correctly [...]

Cityrose Trading Pty Ltd v Booth & Anor [2008]
Victorian Supreme Court, Commercial & Equity Division
 
In 2006, Noel Booth bought a property in Victoria from Cityrose Trading Pty Ltd. The contract contained a special condition referring to GST but it did not stipulate whether GST was payable on the sale. Just before settlement, Cityrose advised Mr [...]

Commissioner of Taxation v Reliance Carpet Co Pty Ltd
 
A commercial property was sold for almost $3 million in 1992, and contracts were exchanged with a deposit of 10 per cent. Both vendor and purchaser were registered for GST.
 
The purchaser did not complete the transaction and the deposit of $297,000 was forfeited to the vendor. The [...]

The “Australia 2020 Summit — Initial Report” is available at: 
www.australia2020.gov.au/report/index.cfm
The Initial Report foresees, amongst others: 
A national and holistic tax system that is fair, simple and efficient to support the global competitiveness of Australia’s economy.
A comprehensive review of state and federal taxes within two years. This includes measures to simplify taxes and reduce inefficient taxes. 
Tax exemption [...]

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has suggested a “root and branch” review of the tax system.  However, the GST rate will not change.  By world standards, Australia’s GST rate is modest.
There is nothing new, again by world standards, in politicians suggesting tax system reviews.  See David Martin’s work on Tax Simplification elsewhere on this website and my summary [...]