Notes to certificates under section 95AA of the Taxation Administration Act 1997.
Power to issue Certificate
1. The Commissioner of State Revenue must issue a Property Clearance Certificate (Certificate) to an owner, mortgagee or bona fide purchaser of land who makes an application specifying the land for which the Certificate is sought and pays the application fee.
Amount shown on Certificate
2. The Certificate shows in respect of the land described in the Certificate:
- windfall gains tax that is due and unpaid, including any penalty tax and interest
- windfall gains tax that is deferred, including any accrued deferral interest
- windfall gains tax that has been assessed but is not yet due
- windfall gains tax that has not yet been assessed (i.e. a WGT event has occurred that rezones the land but any windfall gains tax on the land is yet to be assessed)
- any other information that the Commissioner sees fit to include such as the amount of interest accruing per day in relation to any deferred windfall gains tax.
Windfall gains tax is a first charge on land
3. Pursuant to section 42 of the Windfall Gains Tax Act 2021, windfall gains tax, including any accrued interest on a deferral, is a first charge on the land to which it relates. This means it has priority over any other encumbrances on the land, such as a mortgage, and will continue as a charge even if ownership of the land is transferred. Therefore, a purchaser may become liable for any unpaid windfall gains tax.
Information for the purchaser
4. Pursuant to section 42 of the Windfall Gains Tax Act 2021, if a bona fide purchaser for value of land applies for and obtains a Certificate in respect of the land, the maximum amount recoverable from the purchaser is the amount set out in the certificate, described on the certificate as the "Current Windfall Gains Tax Charge".
5. If the certificate states that a windfall gains tax is yet to be assessed, note 4 does not apply.
6. A purchaser cannot rely on a Certificate obtained by the vendor.
Information for the vendor
7. Despite the issue of a Certificate, the Commissioner may recover a windfall gains tax liability from a vendor, including any amount identified on this Certificate.
General information
8. A Certificate showing no liability for the land does not mean that the land is exempt from windfall gains tax. It means that there is nothing to pay at the date of the Certificate.
9. An updated Certificate may be requested free of charge via our website, if:
- the request is within 90 days of the original Certificate’s issue date, and
- there is no change to the parties involved in the transaction for which the Certificate was originally requested.
10. Where a windfall gains tax liability has been deferred, interest accrues daily on the deferred liability. The deferred interest shown is the amount of interest accrued to the date of issue of the certificate.
