or call us on 03 5273 5273
Tax Lawyers Geelong & Melbourne
Practical, commercial tax advice from a team that understands your business, your structure and your objectives.
Make an enquiry or call us on 03 5273 5273Specialist tax advice for Victorian businesses, families and investors
Tax underpins many of the most important decisions our clients make — starting or growing a business, structuring investments, completing a transaction, managing family wealth, or planning for the future.
Our tax lawyers in Geelong and Melbourne provide clear, commercially focused advice to help you navigate complex tax issues with confidence. We act for business owners, property developers, investors, professionals and private family groups across Geelong, the Bellarine, the Surf Coast, Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.
What sets a tax lawyer apart from a tax agent or accountant is the ability to advise on the law itself — how it applies to your circumstances, where the risks sit, and how to defend a position if it’s challenged. We work alongside your existing accountant rather than replacing them, and we coordinate closely with our corporate and commercial, property and development and wills, estates and succession planning teams so your tax position and your legal structure actually line up.
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How we can help
We advise individuals, businesses and private groups across the full range of federal and Victorian state tax matters.
Residency and income tax
Advice on Australian tax residency, income tax obligations and related planning considerations for individuals, businesses and private groups with domestic or cross-border interests.
Business structuring and restructuring
Advice on choosing and implementing the right structure for your business, including companies, trusts, self-managed superannuation funds and partnerships, and restructuring to support growth, succession or risk management.
Transactions and M&A support
Tax input on business acquisitions, disposals and investments, including due diligence, structuring and risk identification.
Property and development
Guidance on GST, capital gains tax, land tax and stamp duty considerations for property transactions and developments.
Private wealth structures
Establishment and ongoing advice for family groups, including structuring, transactions, distributions and compliance considerations dealing with different types of trusts, companies and self-managed superannuation funds.
Succession and estate planning
Tax-effective strategies to support intergenerational wealth transfer and business succession, working closely with our Wills & Estates team.
Deceased estates
Specialist advice on the tax obligations arising during the administration of deceased estates on asset sales, transfers and distributions to beneficiaries.
ATO engagement and risk management
Assistance with managing tax risk, responding to ATO enquiries and reviews, and navigating disputes where required.
ATO and State Revenue Office disputes
A letter from the ATO or the State Revenue Office is not something to sit on. Early advice usually costs less and produces better outcomes than a response assembled after positions have hardened.
Our tax lawyers act for clients at every stage of a revenue authority engagement:
- Responding to ATO reviews, audits and information requests
- Preparing and lodging objections to assessments
- Private and class ruling applications where you need certainty in advance
- Negotiating settlements, payment arrangements and remission of penalties and interest
- Voluntary disclosures
- State Revenue Office matters, including land tax assessments and objections, the vacant residential land tax, payroll tax (including contractor and grouping issues) and duty assessments
- Appeals to the Administrative Review Tribunal and the Federal Court, and to VCAT for state tax matters
Legal advice provided by a lawyer can attract legal professional privilege. Advice from an accountant or tax agent generally does not. It is protected only by an administrative concession that the ATO can decline to apply. If there is any prospect of a dispute, who gives you the advice affects whether that advice can later be compelled.
Our approach
We understand tax can be complex and, at times, uncertain. Our focus is on:
Expertise – applying specialist tax knowledge and practical experience to identify issues, manage risk and support informed decision-making
Clarity – providing advice that is practical, accessible and easy to act on
Commerciality – ensuring tax outcomes align with your broader business or personal objectives
Integration – working across legal disciplines to deliver cohesive solutions
Proactivity – identifying issues early and helping you plan ahead
We take the time to understand your circumstances and tailor our advice accordingly – whether you are a business owner, investor, developer or high-net-worth individual.
Why choose Coulter Legal as your tax lawyers
- A multi-disciplinary firm delivering coordinated legal and tax outcomes under one roof
- Deep experience with owner-managed businesses, farming enterprises and family groups
- Genuine understanding of the Geelong, Surf Coast and broader Victorian market, backed by a Melbourne CBD presence
- Established working relationships with accountants and financial advisers across the region
- A reputation for practical, relationship-driven advice
Who we work with
We support:
- Business owners, private groups and family offices
- Property investors and developers
- Farming and agribusiness families
- Professionals and high-income individuals
- Accountants and financial advisers seeking specialist legal input for their clients
- Executors and beneficiaries of deceased estates
Where we work
Our tax lawyers work with clients across Victoria from six offices.
Geelong
Level 1, 235 Ryrie Street, Geelong VIC 3220
T: 03 5273 5273
Our head office and the base for our tax practice, serving Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surf Coast and the Western District. Geelong office
Melbourne
Level 10, 485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
T: 03 9070 6201
Servicing the Melbourne CBD and metropolitan Melbourne. Melbourne office
We also meet clients at our Torquay, Barwon Heads and Mornington Peninsula offices, and work with clients Australia-wide by video conference.
Our Tax Law expert
Frequently asked questions
Most clients need both. Your accountant handles compliance, returns and ongoing advice. A tax lawyer is the right call when the question is what the law actually requires, when a transaction is significant or unusual, when a structure needs to be established or changed, or when the ATO or State Revenue Office is asking questions. We work alongside your accountant, not instead of them.
Legal advice given by a lawyer can be protected from disclosure. Equivalent advice from an accountant generally is not, because it is covered only by an administrative concession that the ATO can decline to apply. Where a dispute is possible, obtaining advice through a lawyer preserves an important protection.
It depends on the matter. We provide a written costs estimate before starting work, and for defined pieces of advice we can often offer a fixed fee. We will tell you upfront if we think the cost outweighs the benefit.
Note the response deadline and get advice before you reply. Early responses set the framing of a review and are difficult to walk back. Extensions are frequently available if they are requested properly.
Yes. We act for clients throughout Victoria and interstate, and most tax matters can be run by video conference and email.
Before you acquire the land, if possible. GST treatment, the margin scheme, entity choice and land tax exposure are all far easier to structure at the outset than to remediate afterwards.
2026-2027 Federal Budget Series
Navigating the complex web of tax changes coming in the 2027 and 2028 financial years
The Government’s 2026–27 Budget has introduced some of the most significant tax reforms in recent years, with the proposed changes affecting several key areas, including property-related deductions, the capital gains tax regime, and the taxation of trusts.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 (the Bill) and the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 (the Imposition Bill) passed the House of Representatives on 4 June 2026, which once become law will among other things effectively:
replace the 50% CGT discount for individuals, trusts and partnerships and cost base indexation;
introduce a 30% minimum tax rate on capital gains accruing from 1 July 2027, and
limit negative gearing for residential property investments to new builds from 1 July 2027.
The Treasury also published the Consultation Paper on proposed minimum tax on discretionary trusts on 8 July 2026 seeking feedback on certain aspects of the operation of the tax including treatment of excess franking credits and appropriate collection mechanisms to support the minimum tax.
Coincidentally with the 2026–27 Budget, the High Court handed down its decision in Commissioner of Taxation v Bendel [2026] HCA 18 (Bendel) on 10 June 2026. The decision is also expected to have significant implications for the management of unpaid present entitlements (UPEs) arising from discretionary trusts and the Treasury has noted this in the Consultation Paper.
This 2026–27 Federal Budget Series will examine key aspects of the proposed changes as they develop, including their practical implications, and provide updates as the measures progress towards becoming law.
Click on the links below for the first two parts of the series.
CGT time travel – replacing 50% CGT discount with cost base indexation
CGT minimum tax and the interaction with marginal tax rates
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Mornington
The Advice HubUnit 38/ 33 Milgate Drive
Mornington VIC 3931
T: 03 9070 6201
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