Use of the Going Concern provisions and the Margin Scheme to avoid or reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the sale of new residential premises

An entity owns or acquires land and substantially constructs, or arranges the substantial construction of, residential units/houses on the land. 2. The entity sells the substantially completed residential units/houses to another entity, which may or may not be an associate, as a GST-free going concern. 3. The acquiring entity completes, or arranges the completion of, the units/houses, and sells them as a taxable supply to third parties, applying the margin scheme to calculate the GST payable on those sales. GST is calculated only on the margin between the sale price to the third parties and the acquisition cost. 4. Both entities claim input tax credits on the costs incurred in constructing the units/houses and/or the acquisition of the land.