Ross Higgins
Commercial
Taxation and Financial Services
T +61 3 9321 7830
F +61 3 9321 7900
E rhiggins@rigbycooke.com.au
Areas of expertise:
Taxation, including:
- Income tax
- GST
- Stamp duty
- Establishment and review of structures
Superannuation, including:
- Advice on tax, prudential and other issues
- Fund establishment/updates
Dealing with the ATO
Professional biography:
Ross Higgins has over 25 years experience as a tax practitioner in Australia. He has practised as a tax partner in large chartered accounting firms, and since 2002 as a tax lawyer, providing services to local, national and international clients.
Ross also provides services to accounting firms, other law firms, and corporate and financial advisers and their clients on specialist issues.
Significant experience:
- Advising on numerous mergers and acquisitions (domestic and international), pre-public offer structuring and business group restructuring generally
- Advising on the establishment and restructuring of not-for-profit organisations
- Advising on employee share plans and/or other remuneration arrangements for various companies
- Advising on corporate tax issues generally, including tax consolidation, capital gains tax, tax loss rules, debt forgiveness, dividend franking rules, share buy-backs, debt/equity rules, deductibility issues, and anti-avoidance and integrity rules
- Advising on privately held structures, including issues particular to private companies and trusts, asset protection strategies and succession planning
- Advising on inbound and outbound investment, including controlled foreign company rules, double tax agreements, foreign tax credit/offset rules, thin capitalisation, debt/equity rules, licensing of intellectual property, tax treatment of expatriates, transfer pricing, withholding tax and foreign exchange rules
- Advising on superannuation tax and prudential issues for employers, funds and members
- Advising on funds management and financial products
- Dealing with the ATO in terms of tax objections and appeals, strategies, negotiation and settlement of audits/disputes
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Laws – University of Melbourne
- Bachelor of Commerce – University of Melbourne
- Diploma of Superannuation Management – Macquarie University
- Chartered Accountant
Professional memberships:
- Taxation Institute of Australia, including as member of the Victorian Tax Technical Committee
- Law Institute of Victoria
- Institute of Chartered Accountants
