Leisa Rafter

Executive summary

Leisa is a highly experienced Partner within BDO’s Tax team in Brisbane; she has over 20 years’ professional expertise delivering commercial solutions for complex transactions.

Specialising in indirect tax, Leisa has extensive knowledge of stamp duty, land tax, payroll tax, GST, and fuel tax credits across all Australian jurisdictions. Her business acumen, legal background, and practical approach enable her to provide tailored and effective client outcomes.

Leisa has significant experience working with clients in the property, infrastructure, energy and financial services sectors, and excels in transaction support, restructuring, and managing indirect tax throughout various business processes. She is also highly skilled at managing audits, reviews, and disputes with state revenue authorities and the ATO.

Leisa values a partner-led approach, working closely with her clients to understand their unique commercial needs and challenges and ensure optimal outcomes.

Expertise

• Specialist indirect tax services, including stamp duty, land tax, payroll tax, GST, and fuel tax credits for ASX-listed companies, multinationals, large private groups, and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
• Transaction services, including indirect tax due diligence for companies across a diverse range of industries including property and construction, financial services and managed funds, manufacturing, infrastructure, food and agribusiness, mining, and technology. This includes assisting with the review of public documents and IPO or privatisations support.
• Indirect tax structuring and restructuring
• Assisting clients with managing ATO and state revenue office audits and dispute resolution
• Governance and tax risk management

Experience

• Indirect tax advisor in relation to the acquisition of a significant energy project in Queensland.
• Duty and indirect tax structuring advice in relation to numerous energy and infrastructure projects including set up, capitalisation, consideration of offtake agreements, PPP arrangements and exit strategies.
• Attaining successful ruling applications for a corporate group’s Australia-wide restructure, resulting in $20 million in state tax savings.
• Provision of indirect tax advice in relation to the establishment of a Managed Investment Scheme including advice regarding the bidding, construction and operation of the underlying commercial project (A$2 billion).
• Provision of stamp duty advice in relation to a global joint venture structure involving a large international pension fund. This included assisting with the stamp duty matters arising from the global set up, the initial investment in excess of $100M in Australian real property, the use of nominees, considerations of surcharge duty and funding matters.
• Establishment of new property syndicates both closely held and widely held. Utilising options, start-up concessions and other structuring measures (experience in all Australian jurisdictions).
• Provision of indirect tax opinions (covering both stamp duty and GST) in relation to Product Disclosure Statements for various property funds and syndicates.
• Provision of stamp duty advice in relation to the restructure of a listed property fund and ongoing stamp duty advice in relation to various acquisitions of additional landholding trusts.
• Provision of GST and duties advice in relation to various acquisitions of aged care, retirement living and manufactured home estate assets. This included review of transaction documentation and assistance with the GST treatment going forward.
• Indirect tax advisor acting for the vendor in two independent sales processes each involving sizable manufactured home asset portfolios.
• Advice to various international businesses and technology platform providers in relation to either establishment of operations within Australia or sales into Australia (taking into account the new GST rules).
• Working with multiple ASX listed Clients and large privately owned groups in relation to ATO GST assurance reviews to achieve justified trust. This includes liaison with the ATO, review and provision of data and key information, GAP analysis, assistance with review of governance and updating and strengthening governance control framework. 

Qualifications and affiliations

• Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Admitted as a Solicitor, Queensland
• Registered Tax Agent
• Chartered Tax Advisor
• Fellow, The Tax Institute
• Member, Queensland Law Society Inc.
• Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors

Professional engagements and activities

• Chair, Queensland State Taxes sub-committee, The Tax Institute 2003 - current
• Director, Energy Queensland Limited, 2024 to current
• Director, BDO Australia Limited, 2024 to current