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Foundations of Tax Law (LAWS70323)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
March
Lecturers
March
Associate Professor Mark Burton, Coordinator
July
Professor Miranda Stewart, Coordinator
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
July
Lecturers
Semester 1
Associate Professor Mark Burton, Coordinator
Semester 2
Professor Miranda Stewart, Coordinator
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | March July |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject will be delivered online in 2020 over the scheduled dates.
This core tax subject examines the fundamentals of taxation, with a focus on Australia’s most important tax: the personal income tax. It engages with the tax law that is most relevant to legal and tax practice for individuals and businesses.
This subject equips students to interpret statutory tax rules and apply judicial approaches, and to understand the policy and implications of tax reform in this fast-changing and challenging area of law. This subject is required for international tax students and is recommended for all masters students who have had little previous study or experience in tax law and wish to gain a solid grounding in the area
Principal topics include:
- Overview of federal and state taxes in Australia, how tax laws are made, sources of tax law, tax policy and design principles and reform
- The structure of the income tax, concept of income and tax rates
- Income tax law, including calculation of taxable income; definition of income from services, property and business, capital gains, deductions and treatment of business and investment assets
- Overview of income tax of business and investment entities
- Tax avoidance and evasion, and the general anti-avoidance rule.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an integrated understanding of the Australian taxation system, with a focus upon the federal income tax
- Be able to critically examine, analyse, interpret and apply the core Australian income tax rules as they apply to a range of commonly encountered circumstances
- Have a sophisticated appreciation of tax policy and design principles, and in particular the application of those principles to the taxation of income
- Be an engaged participant in debate regarding the application of tax principles, particularly as they apply to the taxation of income
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to independently examine, research and analyse fundamental Australian income tax rules
- Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding the Australian income tax rules to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Be able to demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the field of income taxation.
Last updated: 3 November 2022