GST on loan repayments

The recent High Court decision of Burke v Commissioner of Inland Revenue (2019) is a timely reminder that understanding the legal form of a transaction is important for applying the correct GST treatment.

Mr Burke was a GST registered, self-employed contractor, who renovated houses and buildings. In mid-2006, Mr Burke entered into a venture with Citywide Capital Limited (CCL). CCL gave Mr Burke a loan to fund the purchase and development of two properties.

The loan agreement had a number of terms. Mr Burke was responsible for paying any suppliers and sub-contractors directly. He was required to use CCL’s accountant to process his GST returns, with any GST refunds to be collected by CCL as partial repayment of any outstanding loan.

Cashflow constraints meant Mr Burke was required to drawdown additional loan capital from CCL throughout the project, in order to pay suppliers. Under the loan arrangement, CCL paid suppliers directly, however the legal form of the arrangement between Mr Burke and CCL was an increase to the existing loan. At the time, CCL’s accountant submitted Mr Burke’s GST returns claiming GST on the payments made to suppliers.