Two minutes with Gil Levy, CTA (Life)

Gil, can you give us a quick career snapshot?

After leaving school in 1964 I spent two and a half years as an audit clerk/delivery boy at the then Wilson Bishop Bowes and Craig. A potential doubling in salary plus five hours a week off to study induced me to the Taxation Office for six and a half years where I finished my Commerce Degree at UNSW.

A desire to travel followed and as the ATO had cancelled leave of absence I resigned to rejoin my old firm to head note Tax Cases for Butterworth’s under Ted Mannix and Don Harris.

Following a merger of the Sydney office of the firm with PWC I was offered a partnership to stay and help re-start the firm in 1976. In 1980 the firm merged with GT Hartigan to become PKF and in 1992 the Sydney office of PKF merged with Arthur Andersen.

Arthur Andersen encouraged me to become more involved with The Tax Institute, affording me the opportunity and privilege to become president in 2003. Through my involvement with The Tax Institute I became involved with the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants Association (AOTCA) and am in my final year as president.

Andersen collapsed in 2002 and along with Vince Hourigan we started the Sydney office of MGI firstly as a branch of the Melbourne firm and as an independent member from 1st July 2008.

I have been fortunate to be able to continue an uninterrupted career as a tax adviser for some 48 years and have no plans to stop anytime soon.

You will be presenting on "Structuring and Restructuring of the Growing Business" at the upcoming 20th National Tax Intensive Retreat. What are some of the things delegates can expect to take away from your presentation?

In one iteration or another over the years, this has been a recurring subject at Tax Institute seminars.

My paper will attempt to introduce the delegates to some of the issues and opportunities I have encountered in practice along with a reintroduction of some older concepts e.g. the ability to assign an interest in a partnership using a CGT roll-over provision.

The potential re-emergence of a company as a preferred vehicle will be looked at in the context of the operation of Division 7A of the 1936 Act. The benefits and constraints of various CGT roll–over provisions and the issues with consolidation after a roll-over will also be a focus.

What brings you back to Noosa year after year?

I was very much involved in the planning and participated as a discussion group leader in the first National Intensive in Port Douglas in 1994.

This was driven by a desire to provide a high level forum based on plenary papers playing a "scene setting" roll followed by in-depth discussion in small groups to further explore the topic. That basic format continues today and is to my mind the preferred format at this level which brings me back every year.

Which other sessions are you looking forward to attending?

I am looking forward to attending all the sessions. I see my paper as somewhat setting the scene and raising the issues which will be examined in more detail in the following presentations.

And finally, what do you get up to in your non-tax time?

Apart from my dear wife Christine and our two now adult children Alexandra and Mark I have four passionate interests: travel, golf, alpine skiing and sports cars. I always have a book on the go (a recent Kindle convert) and have just finished Peter Fitzsimons' Those Magnificent Men.

20th National Tax Intensive Retreat
20th National Tax
Intensive Retreat

Gil Levy, CTA (Life) is Principal at MGI Sydney and will be presenting at the 20th National Tax Intensive Retreat.

Renowned for its exemplary technical content, interactive workshops and the unbeatable Noosa location, the annual Tax Intensive Retreat is one of The Tax Institute's most popular events.

Archive

See all

Follow Us