Assessable Income & Assets from Primary Production

Last updated 5 January 2007

Assessment for primary production

The value of all primary production liabilities is offset against the value of all primary production assets. All assets in primary production and all liabilities relating to primary production are aggregated, as if they were one asset and one liability. The reason for this approach is that many primary producers have individual farm assets with a current market value less than the level of the debt secured against them, because the debt has not reduced as quickly as the asset has depreciated.    

Treatment of primary production liability

A person's share of a primary production business structure's assets or liabilities is:

• determined by whether they would have a positive or negative balance in their capital account if the business was wound-up, and
• considered to be a 'primary production' asset or liability, and may be aggregated with, or against, the value of the land.

Note: If a couple are the only partners of a primary production enterprise, they are each considered to share half of the net primary production assets and liabilities.

Exempt principal home and curtilage

The exempt principal home and curtilage is not considered to be an asset used in the business of primary production. Therefore, if part of the primary producer's liability relates to their house and curtilage, that portion of the liability is removed for assessment purposes.

Example of how the asset in the business of primary production is assessed

The table below provides an example of how the asset in the business of primary production is assessed.

Private companies and primary production

A private company is accepted as being a 'primary production' company if its main activity is primary production.

Personal primary production assets and liabilities

The following table describes the circumstances in which a person, who is a shareholder in a private primary production company, is assessed as having personal primary production assets and liabilities.

Loans and private companies

The following table describes when borrowings from, or loans to, private companies are personal primary production assets and liabilities.

Farm Management Deposits scheme

The Farm Management Deposits scheme was launched on 2 March 1999 and replaces the Income Equalisation Deposits and Farm Management Bonds schemes. The entire amount of farming profit is taken into account as income in the initial year (i.e. including the amount deposited in the scheme). A withdrawal from the scheme is not assessed as income. The deposits are the farmer's personal asset and are subject to the deeming provisions. The purpose of the scheme is to allow primary producers to stabilise before-tax incomes, alleviating tax disadvantages from fluctuating incomes. The Farm Management Deposits page on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Australia (AFFA)'s website provides more information on this issue.    

Interest rate subsidies

Interest rate subsidies from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Australia (AFFA) are exempt income under section 5H(8) (j) of the VEA.

Landcare grants

Landcare grants from AFFA are usually made to Landcare Groups for projects which will benefit the community (e.g. improvements to catchment areas). However, some grants are paid to individuals. Only the grants made to individuals, and not Landcare Groups, are considered as income. The grants are not allowable deductions under section 46C of the VEA. Similar conservation measures such as prevention of land degradation are not allowed as deductions under the VEA. A deduction is allowed if the expense was incurred in carrying on a business for the purpose of gaining or producing assessable income. Deductions for activities not essential to the business' operations are not allowed. Section 75D of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 provides more information.    

Industry based lump sum payments

An industry based lump sum payment, which may be received by a person because of their association with a particular industry, may be conditional upon the person discontinuing any involvement in that industry. These lump sum amounts are treated as income for 52 weeks from the date they are entitled to be received. For example, payments under the Pork Producers Exit Payment.

Some industry based lump sum payments are exempt

Some industry based lump sum payments are not treated as income as they have a section 5H(12) exemption, usually granted on the basis that a recipient is required to exit an entire industry (for example, a dairy farmer must exit farming, not just dairying).    

Note: Both the Commonwealth and State governments may provide payments from schemes with similar names. To avoid incorrect assessments, details of the scheme's full name and the government involved should be obtained.