University of Sydney Law Library
Pathfinder - GST
CONTENTS
1 Introduction2 Legislation
3 Extrinsic materials
4 Cases
5 GST Rulings
6 Using the catalogue
7 Texts and reports (post 1998)
8 Looseleaf services
9 Conference proceedings
10 Bibliographies
11 GST journals held in the Law Library
12 Journal indexes
13 Online services: Web, Lexis, WestLaw, Quicklaw, Celex
14 Audio and videorecordings
15 Not held, try …
1. Introduction
This guide lists the major publications and electronic databases related to the Australian Goods and Services Tax, which commenced on 1 July 2000, held primarily in the University of Sydney Law Library. Although the GST has been debated, for at least the past 25 years, only those publications and electronic databases of the past two years are listed here.
2. Legislation
The major piece of legislation is called A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (Cth) supported with numerous cognate legislation.
These are conveniently reproduced in:
- Australian GST legislation: with overview , CCH, 4th ed, 2001. Law Research 343.94055 10C
- Krever, R (ed) GST legislation PLUS: Featuring key sectional commentary and cross references, 4th ed, Australian Tax Practice, 2001. Law Research 343.94055 20 B
- GST guide , Vol 2 (CCH) Looseleaf 343.94055 5
Electronically, the GST, as at 1 July 2000 is reproduced on the web, at:
- Australasian Legal Information Institute http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/antsasta1999402
- Australian Taxation Office http://www.ato.gov.au then click on Legal database then Browse
- Blake Dawson Waldron http://www.bdw.com.au then click on Our Consolidated GST Law
- LawSearch Online http://www.lawsearch.gov.au
- SCALEplus http://scaleplus.law.gov.au then click on Browse All Data then Commonwealth Acts (all, current consolidations) then A then A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999.
Bills may be found in
Australian Parliament House http://www.aph.gov.au
Australian Tax Practice Bills & EMs
CCH Australian Income Tax Bills
SCALEplus http://scaleplus.law.gov.au then click on Browse All Data then click on Commonwealth Bills before Parliament 1998+.
Statutory rules may be found at SCALEplus http://scaleplus.law.gov.au then click on Browse All Data then click on either Commonwealth Regulations (all, current consolidations) or Commonwealth numbered Regulations 1979 +
* Alphabetical Listing
* Numerical Listing
3 Extrinsic materials
Explanatory memoranda in print
Australian GST legislation: with overview and explanatory memoranda. North Ryde, NSW, CCH Australia, 1999. Law Research 343.94055 10 Law Short Loan 343.94055 10.
Please note the 2nd and 3rd editions of this publication, did not reproduce the explanatory memoranda.
Australian Income Tax Bills 1998 (CCH) Vol 2. Check for supplementary EMs. Level 10
Bills & EMs (Australian Tax Practice) Part [10/1998]. Check for supplementary EMs. Level 10 under Australian Tax Practice
GST consolidated EMs: ATP's consolidated explanatory memoranda to the GST Acts.
2nd ed, North Ryde, NSW, Australian Tax Practice, 2000. Law Research 343.9404026 3 A
GST guide Transfer binder - GST Bills and Explanatory Memoranda for legislation receiving Royal assent in July 1999 Law Looseleaf 343.94055 5
Explanatory memoranda available electronically from:
- Australian Parliament House
http://www.aph.gov.au/bills/index.htm Click on either Old Bills or Current Bills then you will see the EMs accompanying the bills
Australian Taxation Office ATOlaw – the ATO Legal Database http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/index.htm Click on Browse then click on ATO Legal Database then click on Extrinsic materials.
SCALEplus http://scaleplus.law.gov.au Click on Browse all data, then click on Explanatory Memoranda for Bills before Parliament 1998+
Second reading speeches may be found in:
- Australian Income Tax Bills 1998 (CCH) Vol 2 and subsequent for amending legislation. Level 10
Australian Parliament House http://www.aph.gov.au/bills/index.htm click on Current Bills then you will see the Second reading speeches accompanying the bills
Australian Taxation Office ATOlaw – the ATO Legal Database http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/index.htm Click on Browse then click on ATO Legal Database then click on Extrinsic materials.
Bills & EMs (Australian Tax Practice). Law Looseleaf 343.94052 106 then transferred to Level 10
4 Cases
GST cases will appear in the specialist tax reports:
- Australian Tax Cases (CCH) either in paper or electronic access
- Australian Tax Reports (Australian Tax Practice) either in paper or electronic access
See also the specialist court reports: Commonwealth Law Reports, Australian Law Journal Reports, Australian Law Reports, Federal Court Reports etc and other specialist reports series such as Australian Trade Practices Reports, Administrative Law Decisions, Administrative Appeals Reports.
Cases are available electronically via
- Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) http://www.austlii.edu.au Note particularly cases decided by the Federal Court of Australia.
- SCALEplus http://scaleplus.law.gov.au Note particularly cases decided by the Federal Court of Australia.
To see digests of Australian case law, try Australian Current Law and Australian Legal Monthly Digest, Level 8 Ready Reference.
Overseas cases relevant, will be those from the UK, Canada and New Zealand. Many of these will be available via traditional sources such as:
UK: The Digest; Halsbury’s Laws of England, Law Reports Indexes
Canada: Canadian Abridgment
New Zealand: New Zealand Tax Cases
In addition to the above, many of the above overseas cases may be found using Lexis or Westlaw. Note also the existence of the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) http://www.bailii.org and the Canadian Legal Information Institute http://www.canlii.org
5 Tax Rulings
GST Rulings and Determinations may be found in a number of places, such as:
- Australian Taxation Office website http://www.ato.gov.au/
- GST guide Vol 2 (CCH) Law Looseleaf 343.94055 5
6 Using the Catalogue
Please note when using the catalogue, the University of Sydney uses Library of Congress subject headings, and its preferred term for GST is value added tax. However you can still find books and reports on goods and services tax by keying that term in under Keywords from the Title, Series, Corporate Author or Contents Notes, in the catalogue search options. Here you can also use terms such as GST, VAT, consumption tax or indirect tax.
7 Texts and reports (post 1998)
The application of goods and services tax to financial services: consultation document,
circulated by Peter Costello. Canberra, Dept. of Treasury, 1999.
Fisher Research
336.278332 1.
Also available from
http://www.treasury.gov.au
Chiert, G GST: insurance and financial services - an industry guide, Sydney, Australian Tax Practice, 2000 (Book, CD-ROM, Online)
Collins, D & Warren, N Understanding consumption taxes: everyone’s guide, 2nd ed, Sydney, Australian Tax Research Foundation, 1998. Fisher Research 336.2714099 5
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australian GST handbook, Sydney, Australian Tax Practice, 2000.
Law Research 336.2714099 26
To be available on CD ROM and online
Deutsch, RL; Fischer, D & Orow, B Income tax and GST strategies manual, 2nd ed, Sydney, Australian Tax Practice, 2000
Dixon, D Super strategies for the 21st century: post GST, Melbourne, Information Australia, 2000.
Fisher Research 331.2520994 66
Donnelly, A GST: the winners and the losers, Elsternwick, Vic, Wrightbooks, 1998.
Fisher Research 336.2710994 5
Douglas, R Farmers’ ABC of GST, Canberra, National Farmers’ Federation/Australian Society of CPAs, July 1999. Badham 336.2714088 1
Badham Library 336.2714088 1
Also Via
http://www.nff.org.au click on Publications
Douglass, R GST the answers: the plain English guide to the GST, Kenmore, Qld, InTax, 1999.
Fisher Research 336.2710994 10
Ernst & Young Australia GST the Ernst & Young guide: questions and answers, Sydney, UNSW Press, 1999.
Fisher Research 336.2710994 11
Fehily, K et al Handy GST guide, North Ryde, NSW, CCH, 1998.
Law Research 343.94055 6
Fernandez, P & Oats, L GST and small business, Perth, School of Business Law, Curtin Business School, Curtin University of Technology, 1998 (Working paper series; 98:01).
Fisher Research 336.2710994 6
Fisher, S & Dickson, L Getting ready for the GST, Sydney, CCH, 2000.
Law Research
336.2714 16 Includes GST checklists, Disk and GST quick reference guide
Getting ready for the GST kit - for accountants, North Ryde, NSW, CCH, 2000.
Includes the 2000 Master GST guide, checklists in print and on CD, pricing and cashflow calculators and a PowerPoint presentation
Getting ready for the GST kit - for business, North Ryde, NSW, CCH, 2000.
Includes a GST Quick reference guide, GST Checklists booklet, CD with checklists, pricing and cashflow calculators and tools
GST & business skills: an action guide for small and medium enterprises charitable organisations and educational bodies, Kingston, ACT, GST Start-Up Assistance Office/Sydney, KPMG, 1999.
Law Research 336.2714099 23 Book & Disk
GST guide, 2nd ed, Melbourne, Centre for Professional Development, 2000.
On order
GST training kit, North Ryde, NSW, CCH, 2000. Includes a self-paced learning program on CD, GST resource handbook and PowerPoint presentation. Law AV 336.2714099 13 Disk;
Law Research 336.2714099 13 Book
Hendren, LP Survive the GST: a guide for small & medium businesses, Montville, Qld, Oracle Press, 2000.
Fisher Research 336.27140994 25
Hill, P & Stacey, P GST business essentials, Sydney, Australian Tax Practice, 1999.
Law Research 336.2714099 14
Hill, P GST strategies for professionals: a practice survival guide, Sydney, Australian Tax Practice, 1999.
Law Research 336.2420862 1
Libbis, S & Hirsh, D Conveyancing plus GST, Melbourne, Law Crest, 2000. Law Research 343.94055 23
McCouat, P Australian master GST guide, North Ryde, NSW, CCH Australia Limited, 2000- .
Law Journals Level 10 under Australian
McCouat, P GST survival guide: how GST works, 2nd ed, North Ryde, NSW, CCH, 2000.
Law Research 343.94055 9 A
Prestney, S. The ABC of GST, Melbourne, Information Australia, 1999. Fisher Research 336.2714 14
Switzer, P Who’s afraid of the GST? Sydney, Prentice-Hall, 1998.
Fisher Research 336.2710994 8
Switzer, P Your GST questions answered, 2nd ed, Frenchs Forest, NSW, Pearson Education Australia, 2000. Fisher Research 336.2714099 21
8 Looseleaf services
Australia
GST guide, CCH, 1998- Transfer binder - GST Bills and Explanatory Memoranda for legislation receiving Royal assent in July 1999.
Law Loose-leaf 343.94055 5
GST in practice, North Ryde, NSW, CCH Australia Ltd., 1999-
Law Loose-leaf 336.2714099 6
GST in practice: transactions & precedents. North Ryde, NSW, CCH Australia, 2000-
Law Loose-leaf 336.2714099 18
Hands on guide: GST, North Ryde, NSW, CCH Australia Ltd., Law AV 336.2714099 6 Disk Main work + Bulletin + Disk;
Law Loose-leaf 336.2714099 6
Hill, P. Doing business with GST. Rozelle, NSW, Australian Tax Practice, 1999.
Law Loose-leaf 336.2714099 11
New Zealand
New Zealand Goods and services tax guide, Auckland, CCH, 1985-.
Law Loose-leaf
343.931055 1; case digests 1987-1996
9 Conference/seminar proceedings
Basics: GST & real property / presented by Amrit Maclntyre. Sydney, NSW, NSW Young Lawyers, Law Society of NSW, 2000.
Law Research 346.94043 41
Tran-Nam, B (ed) Tax reform and the GST: an international perspective, St Leonards, NSW, Prospect Media, 1998. Fisher Research 336.2050994 56;
Law Research
336.2050994 56
Warren, N & Raneri, J (ed) GST masterclass, St Leonards, NSW, Prospect Media, 1999.
Law Research 336.2780994 1
10 Bibliographies
Gibbs, L Taxline: GST & other reforms – where to get the hottest info (1999) 33 Taxation in Australia 430-33; Gibbs, L Taxline: TIA seminar papers on GST (1999) 33 Taxation in Australia 588
11 GST journals held in the Law Library
GST & Indirect Taxation Bulletin (Prospect)
GST News (Taxation Institute of Australia) and at http://www.taxinstitute.com.au/
GST Newsletter (CCH)
GST Today (Australian Tax Practice)
Apart from the above there are other GST journals available on the internet, some for free and some for a fee.
12 Journal indexes
Readers should note, that many useful articles on GST appear in non GST journals, eg Cooper, G & Vann, R Implementing the goods and services tax (1999) 21 Sydney Law Review 337-436; Hill, DG GST anti-avoidance: division 165 (1999) 2 Journal of Australian Taxation 295-311. To find these, journal indexes are useful tools in finding the above.
The following electronic journal indexes are the most likely sources of useful information on GST.
Australian
- AGIS (Attorney-General’s Information Service)
- APAIS (Australian Public Affairs Information Service)
- Australian Accounting and Taxation Database
- Australian Taxation Abstracts (Taxabs)
Overseas
To limit your searches to Australia, add in Australia when doing your searches.
- ABI-Inform
- Expanded Academic ASAP
- Index to Legal Periodicals
- LegalTrac (electronic) or Current Law Index (print)
13 Online services: Web, Lexis, WestLaw, Quicklaw, Celex
There are many web resources related to GST. Here is a selection.
- Australian Taxation Studies Program (ATAX) University of New South Wales http://www.atax.unsw.edu.au Includes the Research guide to GST, a reference source of local and overseas publications, details of courses, forthcoming seminars/conferences, the Journal of the ATAX Association.
- The ACCC's role in preventing price exploitation in relation to the New Tax System changes http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/179153 1999 document in pdf and Word format
- CPA Australia http://www.cpaonline.com.au
- GST Start-Up Assistance Office http://www.gststartup.gov.au contains FAQs, media releases
- Law Society of New South Wales http://www.lawsocnsw.asn.au/practice/gst contains information for the Australian legal profession including publications, FAQs, news.
- Taxation Institute of Australia http://www.taxinstitute.com.au contains a wealth of information for members plus limited information free for non members.
There are many overseas databases the Law Library subscribes to which are particularly useful when researching the GST or value added tax (VAT) in other countries.
- Lexis full text legislation, caselaw, journal articles and news from the US, but including Europe, U.K and Australasia. Access: Web to students and staff of the University of Sydney. Contact Law Library for password
- Westlaw full text legislation, caselaw, journal articles and news focussing on the U.S., but including Europe, U.K and Australasia. Access: Web to students and staff of the University of Sydney who attend a training session. Contact Law Library for training times
- Quicklaw (QL) Canada; full text judgments from all court levels and many administrative tribunals in Canada, as well as legislation, tax and news. For software and passwords, contact the Information Services Librarian, on 9351 0293
- Celex European Community's database of legislation, caselaw and publications For passwords, contact the Information Services Librarian, on 9351 0293
14 Audio and videorecordings
Australian Business Number [videorecording]: the key to your business. Canberra, Australian Taxation Office, c2000. 1 videocassette (VHS) (16 min.): sd., col.; 1/2 in.
Goods and services tax [videorecording]: information for business, Canberra, Australian Taxation Office, c2000
15 Not held, try …
The Law Library does not hold the following however many students will have access to the following in their own offices.
Butterworths GST Research Library which includes local and international commentary; legislation and extrinsic materials; GST Rulings; ACCC releases etc.
The GST Library (Australian Tax Practice) not held by the Law Library has full text GST cases.
The Television Education Network http://www.tved.net.au publishes a lot of videos, tapes and books on GST for sale.

