Michelle Bennett

Executive summary

Michelle is a Tax Partner with BDO in Melbourne. Her focus is on indirect taxes, and she has extensive expertise in the application of GST, stamp duty, and land tax.

Michelle’s goal is to ensure indirect taxes are managed smoothly and efficiently, freeing up her clients to focus on their business.

With over 25 years’ experience in legal and accounting firms, Michelle works across a broad range of commercial and property transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructures, and inbound investments.

Her clients span a range of sectors, from natural resources to manufacturing, to tourism. Michelle has extensive experience in property and infrastructure investments, private equity acquisitions, and integrations. She helps her clients effectively manage commercial transactions, as well as prepare for and resolve interactions with revenue authorities across the business lifecycle.

Prior to joining BDO, Michelle was Partner at a global accounting firm, providing solutions and managing GST and state tax risks; she also has prior experience at a leading national law firm.

Long-term secondments to two of Australia’s largest banks have provided Michelle with a genuine understanding of the practical issues of tax compliance in a complex commercial environment.

Expertise

• State taxes - Stamp duty, land tax
• GST, as well as fuel tax credits and luxury car taxes
• Revenue office and ATO reviews
• Business sales and acquisitions
• Privatisations
• Initial public offering
• Public-private partnerships

Experience

• Corporate restructuring - Helped a major retail franchise chain restructure its group to successfully facilitate external investment. Detailed planning and submissions to revenue authorities allowed the client to implement an efficient structure, and incur duty costs significantly below initial estimates
• Property development - Advised a Victorian developer on large scale build to rent project. This included practical advisory on alternative structuring, reviewing financial models for indirect tax impact, and stakeholder communication.

Reviews

• Helped a financial services client complete an ATO combined assurance review, including an independent data analytics review. Undertook detailed historic analysis to explain significant exceptions and substantially reduce potential shortfall assessments
• Supported a food manufacturing client to respond to a federal government review of imported products. Reviewed client product lists for any incorrect classifications; prepared voluntary disclosure to the ATO; assisted with customer engagement to recover undercharged GST and mitigate potential losses
• Managed state revenue office investigations of duty obligations following business acquisitions. Provided analysis (including pre-existing transaction advice) to support the client’s position that no liability for duty arose, resolving the investigation with no further action.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Master of Tax Law and Taxation
• Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws
• Chartered Tax Adviser, The Tax Institute
• Admitted as a Solicitor, Victoria and New South Wales

Professional engagements and activities

• Presenter, Not-for-profits and Charities, State Taxes Convention, July 2024
• Presenter, Legalwise Property Law Conference, March 2024
• Panellist, Women in Tax, The Tax Institute, February 2024
• Facilitator, FSAA Tax Conference, November 2023.