Outline

Overview

This unit is an introduction to Australia's taxation law. It commences with an overview of the Australian tax system, discusses contemporary tax issues and then deals with specific topics, including: the basis of liability to Australian income tax, concepts of residence and source of income, concepts of ordinary and statutory income (including capital gains tax), tax accounting, taxation of fringe benefits, and allowable deductions. It concludes with a study of the general anti-avoidance sections. The taxation of companies, partnerships and trusts, and international taxation are studied in depth in CLAW3202 which, together with this unit, is a solid basis to prepare students for an important aspect of professional accounting practice.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	CLAW1003 or CLAW2201 or CLAW2214
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ka Ting, antony.ting@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Tania Koit, tania.koit@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Fei Gao, fei.gao@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Live+ supervised)	Final exam Written exam	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Record+)	Mid-semester exam Written exam	20%	Week 07 Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 14:00	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Tutorial papers Written task	30%	Weekly	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= Type A final exam ? = Type B in-semester exam ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial papers: You have to submit a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 tutorial papers for marking. If you submit 4 papers, you will get the marks of the best 3 papers. There are in total 9 tutorial questions, from which you can choose your 3 or 4 questions to submit an answer. This assessment format is designed to provide regular and timely feedback to you, aiming to help your learning throughout the semester. Past experience demonstrates that most students benefit from the feedback to their papers and are able to improve their performance in this unit. The tutorial question on each topic will be posted on Canvas each week. Each week’s tutorial papers are due immediately before the first tutorial for the corresponding week. To be fair to all students, late submissions of tutorial papers will not be marked.
Mid-semester exam: This is an open book exam and will cover topics taught up to and including the lecture before the test. Its purpose is twofold. First, the test is designed to assess your understanding of those topics. Second, and equally importantly, it provides you with timely individual feedback on your learning midway in the semester.
Final exam: This is an open book exam designed to assess your overall knowledge and ability to apply the tax law to commercial problems. It may cover any topic covered in all lectures.

Replacement exams: The Business School has determined that second replacement exams (both mid-semester and final) will not be offered for this unit of study should a student submit two special considerations for the same exam as this unit forms part of the professional accounting accreditation pathway. Should a student be granted a replacement exam via special consideration, and is then unable to attend or does not complete the replacement exam, any subsequent special consideration will result in a DC grade (Discontinue Without Fail).

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Overview of Australian taxation system, including taxation of entities and GST	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Residence and source principles	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Concepts of income - income from personal services, including an overview of FBT	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Concepts of income - income from property and business	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Capital gains tax 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Capital gains tax 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Mid-semester test	Block teaching (1 hr)
Week 08	General deductions 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	General deductions 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Specific deductions	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Tax accounting	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Tax avoidance	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Review and Revision	Lecture (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Sadiq, et al, Principles of Taxation Law (2022, Thomson Reuters, Sydney).
Pinto, et al, Fundamental Tax Legislation (2022, Thompson Reuters, Sydney).

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. analyse and critically evaluate alternative tax policies based on a good understanding of key concepts of taxation and major constraints in the business environment
LO2. determine tax implications of various transactions by applying knowledge of the tax law and practice for individuals and businesses
LO3. compute tax liabilities for individuals and businesses in basic situations
LO4. refine academic writing and presentation skills.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand -

Competency code	Taught, Practiced or Assessed	Competency standard
TCA09		Taxation

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been continuously improved to enhance student learning experience by taking into consideration comments and feedback in past student surveys.

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

CLAW3201: Australian Taxation System

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect