Anthony Watson
- Counsel
- Solicitor (New South Wales, Australia) | Chartered Accountant
Anthony is a Counsel at PDLegal Australia and a specialist tax lawyer with more than three decades of experience advising on complex Australian taxation matters.
He advises Australian and international businesses, private groups, family offices, high-net-worth individuals and their professional advisers on a broad range of taxation matters, transactions and disputes. His practice encompasses Australian federal taxation, capital gains tax, GST, state taxes and duties, tax disputes and litigation, private wealth and succession-related tax issues, employee equity arrangements and complex commercial transactions.
Anthony has particular experience on taxation issues arising from complex commercial transactions, disputes, investment structures and cross-border matters. He also advises on Australian tax matters relating to inbound and outbound investment across the Asia-Pacific region.
Throughout his career, Anthony has held senior roles in private practice and has also acted as an in-house Head of Tax on a locum basis, giving him insight into the commercial and practical considerations surrounding complex taxation matters.
As both a solicitor and Chartered Accountant, Anthony brings legal, financial and commercial perspectives to significant and complex taxation matters, including those involving substantial amounts, novel issues, important commercial consequences or disputes with revenue authorities.
Qualifications
- University of Sydney, Bachelor of Laws
- University of Sydney, Bachelor of Economics
- Supreme Court of New South Wales, Solicitor
- High Court of Australia, Solicitor
- Chartered Accountant
- Harvard Business School, Managing Professional Service Firms
Speaking engagements
Memberships
- Member, Law Society of NSW
Selected Experience
Selected Experience
- Advised major Australian listed and private groups on complex corporate transactions, acquisitions, disposals, restructures and investment arrangements.
- Acted in significant disputes with the Australian Taxation Office, including complex matters involving the characterisation and taxation of major commercial transactions.
- Advised Lendlease over many years on taxation matters, including major transactions and disputes, and acting as locum Head of Tax.
- Acted in the litigation concerning the taxation treatment of the Lendlease/Westpac forward-sale arrangements, in which the taxpayer’s position was ultimately successful.
- Advised major Australian property and investment groups including Lendlease, GPT, Mirvac and Dexus on taxation issues arising from property development, investment, funds management and corporate transactions.
- Advised on complex transfer duty and other state revenue matters involving substantial property and commercial transactions.
- Advised private groups, family offices and high-net-worth individuals on business transactions, investment structures, succession and intergenerational wealth.
- Advised on the Australian taxation consequences of inbound and outbound investment and cross-border structures.
- Advised on employee share ownership and other employee equity arrangements.
- Advised taxpayers and advisers on the conduct of taxation audits, objections, settlement negotiations and litigation.
- Advised individuals and their lawyers on Australia’s corporate and taxation whistleblower regimes, including statutory protections, detriment claims and the interaction between whistleblower protections and employment and commercial disputes.