Australian Government announces 3 new appointments to the Board of Taxation
The Australian Government has announced three new appointments to the Board of Taxation, Mr Neville Mitchell, Ms Karen Payne and Mrs Ann-Maree Wolff.
The Board of Taxation is a non-statutory advisory body charged with contributing a business and broader community perspective in improving the design of taxation laws and their operation.
The new appointments will put the Board in a strong position to support the national debate about the future of the tax system being conducted through the Government’s Tax White Paper process.
Mr Mitchell brings extensive business experience as Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of Cochlear Limited since its listing in 1995. He is currently the President of the Group of 100, the peak body for Australia’s senior finance executives from large private and public business enterprises.
Ms Payne has extensive experience in complex tax-related matters across the financial services, property, mining, energy and utilities sectors. She is currently a partner in Minter Ellison’s tax practice. Ms Payne has previously assisted the Board as an expert panel member on a number of reviews, and is a member of the Tax Committees of the Law Council of Australia and Property Council of Australia.
Mrs Wolff brings long standing experience in senior tax roles within the mining industry. She is currently the Asia Pacific Head of Tax for Rio Tinto. Mrs Wolff has been extensively involved in tax policy development in her roles on the Executive Committee for the Corporate Tax Association and Tax Committees for the Business Council of Australia and Minerals Council of Australia.
The appointment of Mr Mitchell, Ms Payne and Mrs Wolff is for a period of three years.
Head of Minter Ellison’s Tax Division, Bill Thompson, said the firm is delighted. “This appointment acknowledges Karen’s long experience as a specialist tax adviser and tax lawyer. Her contribution to the development of tax policy in this country has been significant through her involvement in the tax forums such as the Law Council of Australia and the Property Council of Australia’s tax committees, and as a member of the Board of Taxation’s expert advisory panel. We are immensely proud of Karen’s achievements. She will make an outstanding contribution to the work of the Board.”