Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1932

Legislation au C1932A00043 Not in force Act

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SALES TAX ASSESSMENT (No. 5).

 

No. 43 of 1932.

An Act to amend the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 19301931.

[Assented to 5th October, 1932.]

BE it enacted by the Kings Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title and citation.

1. (1.) This Act may be cited as the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1932.

(2.) The Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 19301931 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3.) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 19301932.

Refunds of tax

2. Section eleven of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-section:—

(3.) Where tax has been paid under this Act on the importation of goods by a person who has subsequently sold the goods to the Government of the Commonwealth or the Government of a State or to a Commonwealth or State authority and the Commissioner is satisfied that—

(a) the Government of the Commonwealth or the Government of a State would have been entitled to exemption from tax by virtue of the provisions of paragraph (a) of section six of this Act if that Government had imported the goods, and

(b) the amount of that tax has been excluded wholly or in part from the price for which the goods were so sold,

the Commissioner may refund to the person who so sold the goods the amount which, in the opinion of the Commissioner, was so excluded.

3. After section eleven of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:—

Drawback.

11a. Where, on or after the twenty-seventh day of May, One thousand nine hundred and thirty-two, drawback of import duty paid in respect of any goods is allowed pursuant to section one hundred and sixty-eight of the Customs Act 19011930 and the regulations thereunder, drawback of the sales tax paid under this Act in respect of those goods shall be allowed..


Amendment of Schedule.

4. The Schedule to the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting after the item commencing with the words

Agricultural and horticultural the items—

Agricultural and other machinery and implements, viz.—

Chaff cutters and horse gears;

Chaff cutter knives;

Cheese presses;

Churns;

Combined corn shellers, huskers and baggers;

Corn shellers and corn huskers, and combined corn shellers and huskers;

Cotton gins;

Cream separators;

Cultivators;

Dairy coolers;

Discs for agricultural implements;

Drills—seed, grain and fertilizer;

Engines for use in farming or pastoral pursuits;

Farm tractors;

Fertilizer spreaders;

Field mowers;

Fire rakes and fire ploughs;

Fruit grading, sorting and cleansing machines;

Garden and field spraying machines and spray pumps;

Harrows;

Hay presses;

Hay rakes—horse-drawn, and hand-worked rakes and ploughs combined;

Hay tedders;

Lucerne bunchers;

Machines for planting seedlings;

Maize harvesters and maize binders;

Milking machines;

Pasteurizers and jacketed vats or jacketed tanks, and also enamelled vats or tanks not jacketed, including those fitted with agitators or stirrers capable of use as pasteurizers or coolers or as storage receptacles;

Ploughs, plough shares, plough mouldboards, and mouldboard plates in the flat;

Potato planters, raisers, diggers and sorters;

Reapers and binders;

Reaper threshers and harvesters;

Seats, poles, swingle-bars, yokes and trees for agricultural machines;

Scarifiers;


Scoops for use in pastoral or farming pursuits;

Sheep-shearing machines;

Straw stackers;

Strippers and stripper harvesters;

Stump extractors and lifting jacks for use in farming or pastoral pursuits;

Sub-surface packers for agricultural purposes;

Threshing machines;

Wagons, drays and spring drays for use in farming or pastoral pursuits;

Wheat grading and pickling machines;

Winnowers and winnower forks (wood and steel);

Wool presses;

and parts thereof, not being parts of a kind that are ordinarily used for any other purposes;

Agricultural, horticultural and viticultural spraying and dusting materials, and preparations and materials to be used in the checking of noxious weeds, plant and seed insect pests and plant and seed diseases;;

(b) by inserting after the item commencing with the word Bags the item—

Bee-keepers equipment but not including articles ordinarily used for any other purpose;;

(c) by inserting after the item Bibles and Scripture portions the items—

Binder twine;

Blow-fly traps;

Chemicals imported by a person engaged in the mining industry for use in the recovery of gold, silver or base metals by the flotation, cyaniding, electrolytic or similar processes;;

(d) by inserting after the item commencing with the words Crude oil the items—

Dips and washes for cattle and sheep;

Exchange publications (including manuscripts, typescripts, pictures, maps and plans which the Commissioner is satisfied are of such historical educational value or historical interest as to justify their inclusion in a national or State institution within the Commonwealth) consigned to international exchange centres in Australia and publications donated to a Commonwealth or State Government Department or to an institution or society, and not intended to be sold by the donee;

Explosives imported by a person engaged in the mining industry for use in that industry;;


(e) by omitting the item commencing with the word. Films and inserting in its stead the item—

Films covered by clause (b) of paragraph (2) of sub-item (c) of item 320 of the Customs Tariff 19211930;;

(f) by omitting the item—

Flotation reagents imported by a person engaged in the mining industry for use in that industry;

and inserting in its stead the item—

Fumigators for extermination of rabbits;;

(g) by omitting the item commencing with the words Goods re-imported;

(h) by inserting after the item Kerosene the items—

Lime for use in farming pursuits;

Machinery and parts thereof to be used in the mining industry;

Nets and netting for fishing and cotton for repair thereof;;

(i) by inserting after the item Petrol the items—

Posters, display signs, pamphlets, books and other printed matter issued by Government Tourist Bureaux, Railway authorities or steamship companies, advertising, or having reference to, places beyond the Commonwealth;

Poultry farmers equipment, viz., incubators, brooders, trap-nests, feeders, hoppers, fountains and waterers;

Preparations for use in the prevention, cure or eradication of diseases or pests in poultry, birds or live-stock;

Re-imported goods which are covered by Item 401 of the Customs Tariff 19211930;

Rabbit poisons;

Rape seed for pasture purposes;

Sheet iron, galvanized—flat and corrugated;

Ships and power-driven vessels of over 1,000 tons gross register;

Stockinette and hessian for use in the manufacture of meat wraps;;

(j) by inserting after the item Tobacco the item—

Traps for rabbits and dingoes;; and

(k) by omitting the item Vessels; and inserting in its stead the items—

Water bore casings;

Water pipes (galvanized) not exceeding 3 inches in diameter, and galvanized pipe fittings therefor; windmills and towers, pumps, pump jacks, power


pumping heads, pump valves, pump rods, pump rod joints, tank stands, tanks and troughing, and water sprinklers, for use in farming, pastoral or mining activities;

Wire netting, barbed wire and iron or steel wire of gauges 8 to 14; manufactured field wire fencing and gates, and fencing droppers and posts for wire fencing, which are ordinarily used in farming or pastoral pursuits;.

Remission of tax on chaff bags.

5. Where any bags or sacks used for chaff have been imported into Australia on or after the first day of August One thousand nine hundred and thirty and prior to the tenth day of July One thousand nine hundred and thirty-one—

(a) if sales tax has not been paid in respect of those importations—sales tax shall not be payable in respect thereof;

(b) if sales tax has been paid in respect of those importations and the Commissioner is satisfied that the tax has not been passed on to or been paid by the user of the bags or, if so passed on and paid by the user of the bags, has been refunded to him by the person who paid the tax—the Commissioner may refund the tax to that person.

Commencement.

6. (1.) The amendment effected by paragraph (e) of section four of this Act shall be deemed to have commenced on the tenth day of August, One thousand nine hundred and thirty-one.

(2.) The amendment effected by section four of this Act in respect of the exemption specified in the first item inserted by paragraph (i) shall be deemed to have commenced on the eighteenth day of April, One thousand nine hundred and thirty-two.

(3.) The amendment to the Principal Act effected by section four of this Act in respect of the exemption specified in the fourth item inserted by paragraph (i) shall be deemed to have commenced on the date of commencement of the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1930.

(4.) The following amendments to the Principal Act shall be deemed to have commenced on the second day of September, One thousand nine hundred and thirty-two:—

(a) the amendments effected by paragraphs (a), (c), (f), (h), (j) and (k) of section four of this Act; and

(b) the amendment effected by paragraph (d) of section four of this Act in respect of the exemption specified in the first item of that paragraph; and

(c) the amendments effected by paragraph (i) of section four of this Act, with the exception of the exemptions specified in the first and fourth items of that paragraph.

Overview

The Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1932 was enacted to amend the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1930–1931, addressing certain issues related to the assessment of sales tax. The Act was assented to on 5 October 1932 by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia. The primary purpose of this legislation was to introduce refunds of tax for certain goods sold to government entities, allow drawback for sales tax paid on goods eligible for drawback of import duty, and amend the schedule to the Principal Act to include additional exempted goods. The policy objective was to provide relief and adjustments in the sales tax regime to better align with the needs of various industries and government operations during that period.

Scope and Application

The Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1932 applies to individuals and entities engaged in the importation of goods and the sale of goods within the Commonwealth of Australia. This Act amends the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1930–1931 to introduce provisions for refunds of tax paid on the importation of goods subsequently sold to government entities or authorities, provided specific conditions are met. The Act also includes provisions for drawback of sales tax in circumstances where drawback of import duty is allowed under the Customs Act 1901–1930. Exemptions and remissions are specified for various agricultural, horticultural, and industrial goods, including machinery, equipment, chemicals, and printed materials. The amendments to the Principal Act have specific commencement dates, with some provisions backdated to August 1931 and others to September 1932, depending on the specific changes. The application of this Act is further detailed through subordinate regulations which may extend or restrict its provisions.

Key Provisions

The Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1932 amends the Sales Tax Assessment Act (No. 5) 1930-1931 (Principal Act) primarily to provide for refunds of tax, introduce drawback for sales tax, and modify the schedule of exempt goods. Section 2 adds a new sub-section (3) to section eleven of the Principal Act, allowing for refunds of tax to individuals who have paid tax on imported goods and subsequently sold those goods to the government or a government authority, provided that the government would have been entitled to exemption from the tax. The Act also inserts a new section 11A, which allows for drawback of sales tax if drawback of import duty is permitted under the Customs Act 1901-1930 for the same goods. The Act further amends the schedule of the Principal Act by inserting new items for machinery, equipment, and materials exempt from sales tax, such as agricultural and horticultural spraying and dusting materials, bee-keepers' equipment, chemicals for mining, and machinery used in the mining industry, among others. The obligations imposed by the Act on the parties it governs include ensuring that any tax paid on the importation of goods is refunded if the goods are subsequently sold to the government or a government authority under specified conditions. Additionally, entities claiming drawback of sales tax must satisfy the conditions set forth in the Customs Act 1901-1930 for drawback of import duty. The Act also mandates that the Commissioner of Taxation must be satisfied that the tax has not been passed on to the user of the goods or, if passed on, has been refunded to the user by the person who paid the tax, in order to approve a refund of sales tax. The Act does not explicitly state any specific offences, penalties, or consequences for breach of its provisions. However, it is reasonable to infer that failure to comply with the refund and drawback provisions could lead to non-compliance with taxation laws generally. Typically, non-compliance with tax laws can result in civil penalties, such as fines or additional tax liabilities, and in severe cases, criminal penalties. The exact penalties would depend on the nature and extent of the non-compliance, as well as other relevant provisions of Australian tax law.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.