Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Ball, in the matter of Ball [2003] FCA 109

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Ball, in the matter of Ball [2003] FCA 109

BANKRUPTCY – sequestration order – annulment of sequestration order – where Administrative Appeals Tribunal and Federal Court of Australia had rejected debtor's challenge to taxation assessments. Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 s 44 IN THE MATTER OF MAXWELL THOMAS BALL; DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION v MAXWELL THOMAS BALL NO. N 7298 of 2002 BEAUMONT J 18 FEBRUARY 2003 SYDNEY

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY N 7298 OF 2002

IN THE MATTER OF: MAXWELL THOMAS BALL

BETWEEN: DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION

APPLICANT

AND: MAXWELL THOMAS BALL

RESPONDENT

JUDGE: BEAUMONT

DATE OF ORDER: 18 FEBRUARY 2003

WHERE MADE: SYDNEY

THE COURT ORDERS THAT: 1. The motion be dismissed, with costs. Note: Settlement and entry of orders is dealt with in Order 36 of the Federal Court Rules.

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY N 7298 OF 2002

IN THE MATTER OF: MAXWELL THOMAS BALL

BETWEEN: DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION

APPLICANT

AND: MAXWELL THOMAS BALL

RESPONDENT

JUDGE: BEAUMONT

DATE: 18 FEBRUARY 2003

PLACE: SYDNEY

REASONS FOR JUDGMENT

Beaumont J: 1 By notice of motion filed by an unrepresented bankrupt, Maxwell Thomas Ball, filed on 8 January 2003 returnable before me today, Mr Ball, seeks annulment of a sequestration order made against his estate on 20 December 2002. The sequestration order was made on a petition presented on 15 October 2002 in which the applicant creditor claimed a debt of $240,844.42 being a judgment obtained in the District Court of New South Wales at Newcastle on 4 March 1996 together with certain interest. 2 The applicant creditor was unsecured. The act of bankruptcy relied upon in the petition was that the respondent debtor had failed, on or before 12 June 2002, to comply with the requirements of a bankruptcy notice served on 22 May 2002. That bankruptcy notice being itself founded on the final judgment obtained, as previously mentioned, in the District Court of the State of New South Wales in the principal sum of $150,117.63 on 4 March 1996. 3 The judgment debt arises out of an assessment of income tax made for the tax years ended 30 June 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987. The bankrupt objected to the assessments. The Commissioner having disallowed the objections, the bankrupt sought review of the objection decisions in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ("the Tribunal"). However, on 3 February 1995 that Tribunal (case 8/95) affirmed the objection decisions under review. 4 Subsequently the bankrupt instituted proceedings in this Court by way of appeal pursuant to s 44 of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975. That appeal was heard by Lindgren J who, on 28 June 1996, dismissed the appeal. In the period of more than six years that have elapsed since, a number of applications have been made by or on behalf of Mr Ball to the Commissioner seeking remission or other relief from the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation. None of those applications have succeeded. 5 The present application is supported by an affidavit sworn by Mr Ball on 3 January 2003 in which, in essence, Mr Ball attempts to re-agitate the facts underlying the assessments previously mentioned. The affidavit is expressed in the most general terms and I was unable, in the questions I directed to Mr Ball today, to obtain any clear idea of the present basis of any challenge he might seek to mount against the Tribunal's decision, assuming such a challenge were now open. 6 It is obvious that Mr Ball had, for the reasons given by Lindgren J, an adequate opportunity to present his case to the Tribunal and nothing fresh has emerged, to my mind, to cast any doubt upon Lindgren J's decision to dismiss the appeal. In all those circumstances, no basis appears for annulling the sequestration order. 7 Accordingly I dismiss the motion with costs.