Ideas Tax Knowledge Blog

Property Development Businesses (4) - The classification of land subdivisions

Written by Ideas Group | Jun 25, 2020 12:47:50 AM

Determining whether a land subdivision is just selling property or part of a business or profit-making scheme depends on specific factors. Two key cases help understand this:

(A) Statham's case: Subdividing farmland without much involvement or significant activity was seen as a capital asset realization, not a business.

(B) Stevenson's case: Involving extensive activities like managing the project, doing land clearing, and handling council matters, along with significant investments, showed a business in land development.

The closer a subdivision is to Stevenson's case—lots of personal involvement, heavy expenses, and a clear profit-making intention—the more likely it's seen as a business or profit scheme, not just selling land.

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