Tax Laws Amendment (Retirement Villages) Act 2004

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au C2004A01378 In force Act

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Tax Laws Amendment (Retirement Villages) Act 2004

Act No. 143 of 2004 as amended

This compilation was prepared on 10 July 2006

[This Act was amended by Act No. 73 of 2006]

Amendment from Act No. 73 of 2006

[Schedule 5 (item 168) amended Schedule 1 (item 15)
Schedule 5 (item 169) amended Schedule 1 (item 16)

Schedule 5 (items 168 and 169) commenced on 1 July 2006]

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
Attorney-General’s Department, Canberra

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedule(s)

Schedule 1—Retirement villages

Part 1—Amendments

A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999

Part 2—Application provisions 

 

An Act to amend the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, and for related purposes

[Assented to 14 December 2004]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Tax Laws Amendment (Retirement Villages) Act 2004.

2  Commencement

  This Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Schedule(s)

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

 

Schedule 1—Retirement villages

Part 1—Amendments

A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999

1  Paragraph 3825(3)(c)

After “services” (second occurring), insert “(care services)”.

2  After subsection 3825(3)

Insert:

 (3A) Services provided to a resident of a *retirement village are taken, for the purposes of paragraph (3)(a), to be provided in a residential setting if, and only if:

 (a) he or she is a resident of a *serviced apartment in the retirement village; and

 (b) there is in force a written agreement under which the operator of the retirement village provides daily meals and heavy laundry services to all of the residents of the apartment.

 (3B) However, services provided to a resident of a *serviced apartment in a *retirement village are not taken, for the purposes of paragraph (3)(a), to be provided in a residential setting if:

 (a) the *Aged Care Minister has determined in writing:

 (i) the levels of care services that residents of serviced apartments in retirement villages must require in order for subsection (3) to apply; and

 (ii) the way in which the levels of care services required by residents are to be assessed; and

 (b) the *Aged Care Secretary has not, in accordance with the determination, assessed the person to whom the services are provided as requiring the levels of care services so determined.

 (3C) A determination made for the purposes of paragraph (3B)(a) may be restricted to a specified class of residents of *serviced apartments in *retirement villages.

3  After subsection 3825(4)

Insert:

 (4A) A supply is GSTfree if:

 (a) it is made to a person who is a person of a kind referred to in paragraph (3)(c); and

 (b) it is:

 (i) a supply, by way of lease, hire or licence, of *residential premises consisting of a *serviced apartment in a *retirement village; or

 (ii) a sale of *real property that is residential premises consisting of a serviced apartment in a retirement village; or

 (iii) a supply of an excluded security (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001) in respect of which the right to participate in a retirement village scheme (within the meaning of that Act) entitles the person to use or occupy a serviced apartment in a retirement village; and

 (c) in a case where:

 (i) a determination made for the purposes of paragraph (3B)(a) is in force; and

 (ii) the determination is not restricted under subsection (3C) in such a way that the determination excludes the person;

  the *Aged Care Secretary has, in accordance with the determination, assessed the person as requiring the levels of care services determined in the determination; and

 (d) it is made in connection with one or more supplies, or proposed supplies, to the person that are or will be GSTfree under subsection (3).

4  Subdivision 38G (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

Subdivision 38‑G—Activities of charitable institutions etc.

5  At the end of Subdivision 38G

Add:

38‑260  Supplies of retirement village accommodation etc.

  A supply is GSTfree if:

 (a) the supplier is a charitable institution, or a trustee of a charitable fund, that operates a *retirement village; and

 (b) the supply is made to a resident of the retirement village; and

 (c) the supply is:

 (i) a supply of accommodation in the retirement village, or a supply of a service related to the supply of the accommodation; or

 (ii) a supply of meals.

6  Subdivision 38H (heading)

Repeal the heading.

7  After paragraph 17710(1)(c)

Insert:

 (ca) paragraph 3825(3B)(a); or

8  After section 17710

Insert:

177‑11  Delegation by Aged Care Secretary

  The *Aged Care Secretary may, in writing, delegate his or her powers under paragraph 3825(3B)(b) to:

 (a) a person in relation to whom there is in force a delegation by the Aged Care Secretary of functions under subsection 962(5) of the Aged Care Act 1997; or

 (b) a person:

 (i) who is a person of a kind specified in a determination that is in force and that is made by the *Aged Care Minister for the purposes of paragraph 3825(3B)(a); and

 (ii) whom the Aged Care Secretary is satisfied is qualified and experienced to make assessments of the kind referred to in paragraph 3825(3B)(b).

9  Section 1951

Insert:

Aged Care Secretary means the Secretary of the Department that administers the Aged Care Act 1997.

10  Section 1951 (definition of residential care)

Repeal the definition.

11  Section 1951

Insert:

retirement village: premises are a retirement village if:

 (a) the premises are *residential premises; and

 (b) accommodation in the premises is intended to be for persons who are at least 55 years old, or who are a certain age that is more than 55 years; and

 (c) the premises include communal facilities for use by the residents of the premises;

but the following are not retirement villages:

 (d) premises used, or intended to be used, for the provision of residential care (within the meaning of the Aged Care Act 1997) by an approved provider (within the meaning of that Act);

 (e) *commercial residential premises.

12  Section 1951

Insert:

serviced apartment: an apartment (however described) is a serviced apartment in relation to a *retirement village if:

 (a) the apartment is designed to be occupied by aged residents who require either or both of the following:

 (i) the services set out in item 2.1 (daily living activities assistance) of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the *Quality of Care Principles;

 (ii) the services set out in item 3.8 (nursing services) of Part 3 of that Schedule; and

 (b) at least one responsible person is continuously:

 (i) on call to render emergency assistance to the residents of the apartment; and

 (ii) in reasonable proximity to the apartment; and

 (c) the apartment is part of a single complex of apartments to which paragraphs (a) and (b) apply, and is accessible from a common corridor linking the apartment to the other apartments in the complex; and

 (d) there is in the retirement village a communal dining facility that is available for use by the residents of apartments in the retirement village to which paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) apply.

However, a detached house, row house, terrace house, town house or villa unit is not a serviced apartment.


Part 2—Application provisions

13  Definition

In this Part:

GST Act means the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999.

14  General application

(1) The amendments made by this Schedule (other than items 4 to 6) apply, and are taken to have applied, in relation to net amounts for tax periods starting, or that started, on or after 1 July 2000.

(2) However, to avoid doubt, a determination made for the purposes of paragraph 3825(3B)(a) of the GST Act (as amended by this Act) does not apply in relation to any supplies made before the commencement of this item.

(3) The amendments made by items 4 to 6 of this Schedule apply to supplies made on or after the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.

15  Attributing input tax credits

(1) If:

 (a) you are entitled to an input tax credit for an acquisition or importation made before the commencement of this item; and

 (b) you would not be entitled to the input tax credit if the amendments made by this Schedule had not been made;

to the extent that you would, apart from this item, attribute that input tax credit to a tax period ending before the commencement of this item, you may instead attribute it to the first tax period ending after that commencement.

(2) This item does not apply for the purpose of working out adjustment periods for the purposes of Division 129 of the GST Act (which is about adjustments for changes to the extent of creditable purposes).

(3) This item has effect despite:

 (a) sections 2910 and 2915 of the GST Act (which are about attributing input tax credits); and

 (b) section 10555 in Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (which is about the time limit on refunds and credits).

16  Application of section 10555 in Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953

Section 10555 in Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 does not apply to a refund under section 355 of the GST Act in respect of a tax period to the extent that:

 (a) before the commencement of this item, GST on a taxable supply was attributable to that tax period; and

 (b) because of the amendments of the GST Act made by this Act, the supply is no longer a taxable supply.

17  Application of section 7850 of the GST Act

Section 7850 of the GST Act does not apply to a payment or supply made in settlement of a claim under an insurance policy if:

 (a) the entity that paid all or a part of the premium for the insurance policy had, at or before the time referred to in subparagraph 7850(1)(c)(i) of the GST Act, informed the insurer of the entitlement to an input tax credit for the premium it paid; and

 (b) in so informing the insurer, the entity did not, at that time, understate the extent of the entitlement; and

 (c) because of the amendments of the GST Act made by this Act, the statement of the extent of the entitlement is now an understatement of the entitlement.

18  Application of Aged Care Minister’s determinations relating to paragraph 3825(3)(b) of the GST Act

Any requirement in a determination made for the purposes of paragraph 3825(3)(b) of the GST Act that accommodation be included in a package of services, or that charges for accommodation be payable to the entity to which charges for services are payable, does not apply in relation to a supply that:

 (a) is made to a resident of a serviced apartment in a retirement village; and

 (b) is connected with a supply of a kind referred to in subparagraph 3825(4A)(b)(i), (ii) or (iii) to the resident.

 

Overview

The Tax Laws Amendment (Retirement Villages) Act 2004, enacted by the Parliament of Australia, aims to address specific issues related to the taxation of services provided in retirement villages. The Act seeks to clarify the tax treatment of services provided to residents of retirement villages under the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, ensuring that such services are appropriately classified and taxed. By amending the existing GST legislation, the Act introduces specific provisions to define what constitutes a residential setting for the purposes of tax exemption and to outline the conditions under which certain supplies are exempt from GST. The policy objective is to provide clarity and fairness in the taxation of services within retirement village settings, ensuring that the tax treatment reflects the actual nature of the services provided and the needs of the residents.

Scope and Application

The Tax Laws Amendment (Retirement Villages) Act 2004 applies to amendments of the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, specifically concerning retirement villages and the taxation of goods and services provided within them. This Act is applicable to entities and individuals providing goods and services within retirement villages, which are defined as residential premises intended for persons aged 55 years and over, excluding premises used for the provision of residential care by an approved provider under the Aged Care Act 1997. The Act specifies that services provided to residents of serviced apartments in retirement villages are taken to be provided in a residential setting if certain conditions are met, such as the resident living in a serviced apartment and the retirement village operator providing daily meals and heavy laundry services to all residents. Exemptions apply if the Aged Care Minister determines specific levels of care services required for the application of these provisions and if the Aged Care Secretary has not assessed the resident as requiring these services. The Act also outlines conditions for GST-free supplies related to retirement village accommodation and services, such as supplies made by charitable institutions or trustees of charitable funds operating retirement villages. The amendments introduced by this Act apply to supplies made on or after the day the Act receives Royal Assent, with specific provisions for attributing input tax credits and adjustments for changes to the extent of creditable purposes.

Key Provisions

The Tax Laws Amendment (Retirement Villages) Act 2004 (C2004A01378) amends the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 to modify the application of GST to certain services and supplies in the context of retirement villages. The Act introduces several key provisions (Schedule 1, Part 1). Firstly, it modifies the definition of "services" to include "care services" in specific circumstances. Secondly, it establishes that services provided to residents of a serviced apartment in a retirement village are considered to be provided in a residential setting if the resident is a serviced apartment resident and the retirement village operator provides certain services such as daily meals and heavy laundry services. However, this residential setting consideration does not apply if the Aged Care Minister determines specific care levels that must be met and the Aged Care Secretary has not assessed the resident as meeting these levels. Thirdly, the Act specifies that certain supplies, such as leases or sales of serviced apartments in retirement villages, are GST-free if certain conditions are met, including the assessment by the Aged Care Secretary that the resident requires the specified levels of care services. The Act imposes certain obligations on the parties it governs. For example, it requires the Aged Care Minister to determine the levels of care services necessary for a serviced apartment resident to be considered to be receiving services in a residential setting. It also requires the Aged Care Secretary to assess residents according to these determined levels of care services. Additionally, the Aged Care Secretary has the power to delegate certain assessment functions to qualified individuals. The Act also outlines specific offences and penalties for breaches. While the Act does not explicitly state maximum penalties, it is likely that breaches of the GST Act provisions, which are amended by this Act, could result in penalties under the GST Act. These penalties may include fines and other civil or criminal sanctions as prescribed by the GST Act. The Act also includes provisions for the attribution of input tax credits and the application of certain sections of the Taxation Administration Act 1953 in relation to refunds and credits, which are relevant to the administration of GST.

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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.