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  3. Tax Practice: Writing Effectively

Tax Practice: Writing Effectively (LAWS70318)

Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5Not available in 2024

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Overview

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Tax advocacy today, like other advocacy in Australia and overseas, is largely conducted in writing. To succeed in advising or advocating for clients, whether private or government, tax professionals need outstanding written advocacy skills. This subject will enable tax professionals to develop an effective and persuasive writing style in tax advocacy. This subject will focus on the skill of writing key tax documents and developing precedents for future use, including letters of advice and opinions, objections, tribunal and court documents and written submissions, including appeal documents, ruling requests and briefing expert witnesses.

Principal topics include:

  • Effective legal writing: writing techniques directed to persuade in a clear and effective way
  • Writing letters of advice and opinions: section 264 information requests
  • Objections
  • Tribunal and court proceedings
  • Appeal documents
  • Applications for special leave to appeal
  • Written submissions; eg to the GAAR panel, court proceedings and position papers
  • Ruling requests
  • Briefing the expert witness.

Intended learning outcomes

A student who has successfully completed this subject will:



  • Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the skill of writing effective and persuasive tax documents
  • Be able to critically examine and analyse the requirements of the key documents that need to be prepared in practice
  • Be an engaged participant in debate regarding emerging and contemporary issues in relation to taxation and the requirement to write effectively
  • Have a sophisticated appreciation of the applicable legal requirements for particular written communications while being persuasive, effective and readable
  • Have a detailed understanding of the significance of written communication in the practice of taxation
  • Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas relating to development of writing skills in the field of taxation
  • Have the cognitive and technical skills to independently examine, research and analyse the key elements and features of effective written communication
  • Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding writing effectively to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Last updated: 31 January 2024