Coming Soon, Subject to Parliament

Forecasting tax law is easy if accuracy is optional. A useful forecast instead separates enacted measures from Bills, exposure drafts, consultations and political promises, then asks which business decisions cannot wait.

What the pipeline suggests

The 2026 reform program points toward tighter alignment between payroll and super payments, more digital tax administration, continuing multinational and foreign-resident integrity measures, revised super concessions for large balances, personal tax changes and simpler deductions. States and Territories are also discussing payroll-tax administration, although harmonised administration is not the same as harmonised liability.

International structures will need more substance

Global minimum tax, transfer-pricing documentation, beneficial ownership, foreign-resident CGT and permanent-establishment integrity work all favour structures with real people, functions, decision-making and records. A low-tax company with no commercial mind of its own is increasingly expensive décor.

Private groups remain visible

Trust distributions, Division 7A loans, unpaid entitlements, property projects, succession and related-party dealings remain persistent compliance themes. Data matching makes inconsistencies across payroll, activity statements, company returns, trust returns, land records and international schedules easier to identify.

Build a change register

Maintain a short table showing the measure, current legal status, expected start, entities affected, systems or documents required and decision date. Update it when legislation passes—not when a social-media graphic changes colour. Transactions sensitive to a proposal should include alternatives and conditions.

Use rulings where the uncertainty is legal and specific

A private ruling can be valuable where the facts are settled but the law’s application is genuinely uncertain. It is less useful where the commercial arrangement is still being invented. In that case, finish the facts first.