Always learning … Latest lesson: ‘Last Christmas’ ** by Wham is a break up song … Final Post for 2023 and Season's Greetings

With the annual leave season starting in earnest over the next couple of weeks and many advisers taking either extended leave or alternatively taking the opportunity to catch up on things not progressed during the calendar year, last week’s post will be the final one until early 2024.

Similarly, the social media contributions by both the View and Matthew will also largely take a hiatus until the New Year as from today.

Thank you to all of those advisers who have read, and particularly those that have taken the time to provide feedback in relation to posts.

Additional thanks also to those who have purchased the ‘Inside Stories – the consolidated book of posts’ (see - https://viewlegal.com.au/product/inside-stories-reference-guide/).

The 2023 edition of this book, containing all posts over the last year, edited to ensure every post is current, indexed and organised into chapters for each key area should be available early in 2024.

Very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year period.

** for the trainspotters, ‘Last Christmas’ (riffed for the title of today’s post) is the Wham! hit from 1986, watch the quintessential 1980s video clip here:


PS: & recently I learnt why my first ever girlfriend broke up with me in grade 5 at about this time of the year back in 1986 … at the time I had just spent weeks of pocket money on a 7 inch single (you can google what this is …) by her favourite band Wham and the aforementioned single …

not stopping to listen to the lyrics focused on the withdrawing of the giving of true love … she broke up with me the very next day …

when sharing the breakup story with my daughters recently and musing how I never understood why she ‘dropped’ me they quickly pointed out the stupidity of my choice of gift. Samantha Curran of Flynn Primary School Canberra (who I have not seen or spoken with since that day in December 1986) – I am sorry.

Why every will contains a testamentary trust (Not calling anyone a liar**)

While the popularity of comprehensive testamentary trusts has continued to grow significantly in recent years, strictly every valid will does contain a form of testamentary trust.

While the popular usage of the term 'testamentary trust' refers to a comprehensive discretionary trust embedded into a will instrument, testamentary trusts can refer to any arrangement set out under a will where the intended beneficiaries are not absolutely and immediately presently entitled.

The structure lasts only for the length of administration of the estate (ie normally only a few months).

They are not testamentary trusts as normally understood and do not offer any ongoing tax, asset protection or flexibility advantages.

The phrase for the clause establishing this form of ‘trust’ in a will is often along the lines of:

‘As to 50% of my Net Estate, UPON TRUST for my child once they attain the age of 25 years absolutely’

One (perhaps anecdotal) way to determine if a will has a comprehensive testamentary discretionary trust included is to apply ‘the weight test’.

That is, a comprehensive testamentary discretionary trust will usually is around 30 pages in length.

A ‘bare’ testamentary trust will is rarely more than 10 pages, and can often be as short as 2 pages.

Some examples of where basic or 'bare' testamentary trusts exist include:

1. where the beneficiary receives a direct gift that is subject to them attaining a certain age (for example, the clause set out above);
2. where a gift is given to a beneficiary who does not have legal capacity (for example, because they are under the age of 18, or are over the age of 18 and lack mental capacity); and
3. where a specific gift is given to a beneficiary, however the administration process of the estate has not been completed.

In relation to the first two categories, the Tax Office will generally allow the ultimate beneficiary to enjoy access to the excepted trust income provisions.

In relation to the last category however, the Tax Office generally only allows a maximum of 3 years whereby the excepted trust income provisions apply, and practically, we are aware of situations where they in fact only allow a maximum of 12 months.

The Taxation Ruling IT 2622 explains in more detail the Tax Office’s approach.

The case of Walker v Walker [2022] NSWSC 1104 similarly explores many of the key principles in this area - and indeed appears to support a conclusion that the administration process of an estate will be completed, at least for the purposes of present entitlement for tax, at a point in time even earlier than what the Tax Office has historically suggested in the IT.

That is a beneficiary may be held to have a vested and indefeasible interest to the income (and be specifically entitled) far earlier than might otherwise be assumed. Furthermore, executors may have a duty to ensure tax imposts are legitimately minimised by protectively making interim distributions to beneficiaries.

As usual, please contact me if you would like access to any of the content mentioned in this post.

** For the trainspotters, the title of today's post is riffed from the Florence and the Machine song 'I’m not calling you a liar’.

Listen here: