Disputes with the ATO can cost you everything.  You are guilty until you prove yourself innocent and even if you successfully challenge an ATO determination, it can often be too late.

If you are unlucky enough to get into a fight with the ATO following an audit, their powers are extra-ordinary:

• they can issue you with a tax bill and commence legal action to collect it, even if they are wrong. 
• they may even refer you to the Australian Federal Police for prosecution for fraud for something as simple as under-reporting your income.

What we do

SMH Tax Lawyers specialise in tax litigation, that is, fighting the ATO.  We are not accountants but expert tax lawyers who also act for and with many large accounting groups.  We specialise in interpreting and explaining taxation legislation, which is amongst the most complex law in Australia.

SMH Tax Lawyers offers practical advice in plain English.  We will tell you realistically what your prospects are of success against the ATO and put in place strategies – which may include negotiation or litigation - to best help you deal with the ATO.

Our record against the ATO includes successful private rulings, negotiations, objections and appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Court.

We also assist clients and accountants with tax planning and reducing the likelihood of future disputes with the ATO.