ATO to investigate investors inflating losses
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is investigating investors who are artificially inflating their investment losses or transferring them inappropriately to take advantage of tax refunds for any losses incurred.
ATO Second Commissioner of Taxation Jennie Granger said many losses are arising from investors' need to offload an investment quickly to meet margin calls, for example, and those facing financial pressure may be tempted to artificially create losses.
The ATO will be advising people on how to claim losses correctly and inform them of their capital gains tax obligations if they dispose of any assets from investment properties or managed funds.
The ATO will also increase its data matching activities to analyse transactions involving ownership and disposal of property investments and shares, superannuation contribution statements, and self-managed super fund returns, Granger said.
It will also investigate taxpayer returns for partnership and trust income and compare employee-shared schemes with the share scheme plans of major companies to resolve any discrepancies with taxpayers.
Recommended for you
In this episode of Relative Return Insider, host Keith Ford and AMP chief economist Shane Oliver unpack the RBA’s decision to keep the cash rate on hold in the face of rising inflation and whether the governor’s hawkish tone is a sign of things to come.
In this episode of Relative Return Insider, host Keith Ford and AMP chief economist Shane Oliver discuss the September quarter GDP figures, which show Australia’s economy regaining momentum.
In this new episode of The Manager Mix, host Laura Dew speaks to Haley Devine, head of wealth management at MaxCap Group, to delve into private credit and commercial real estate.
In this new episode of The Manager Mix, host Laura Dew speaks to Benjamin Leung, head of systematic investments at Macquarie Asset Management, to understand the use of systematic investments.

