Treasury releases discussion paper on privilege in relation to tax advice

15/04/2011

Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten today released a discussion paper titled Privilege in Relation to Tax Advice. In 2007 the Australian Law Reform Commission conducted an inquiry into the operation of legal professional privilege in relation to the coercive information gathering powers of various Commonwealth bodies (Privilege in Perspective: Client Legal Privilege and Federal Investigatory Bodies). The report recommended establishing tax advice privilege to protect tax advice given by independent professional accounting advisers against the coercive information gathering power of the commissioner of taxation. The discussion paper can be accessed from the Treasury website. The closing date for submissions is **15 July 2011. **

**15 April 2011 **