China duties on Canadian canola may advantage Australia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Ferry terminal a bridge too far for Applecross residents
Applecross residents want a terminal proposed as part of an expansion of ferry services moved across the river to Como. The State Government is planning to build a ferry terminal immediately north of the Raffles Hotel and near the luxurious Raffles Waterfront Apartments as part of its $107 million expansion of public transport options along the Swan River. A new river route will connect it and a new terminal at Matilda Bay with the existing Elizabeth Quay ferry stop. The new terminals will feature a fixed jetty connecting the shore and sheltered waiting area, and a covered hinged jetty guiding passengers to the floating pontoon where they will board the ferries. The Matilda Bay location sparked backlash from other water users and Matilda Bay-based groups when it was confirmed last month, and now the Applecross location has also come under fire. The Canning Bridge Ferry Action Group wants the Applecross terminal shifted across the river to the Canning Cloister Foreshore in Como. It also wants 'real consultation' by being part of the Applecross Landing Community Reference Group. Canning Bridge Ferry Action Group spokesman Matthew Cox said their concerns were not a case of NIMBYism. Residents were worried for the safety of dolphins which they said regularly played in the area and the swans who use the area to raise their cygnets. 'The government's proposal is flawed and there is a good case for mitigating the impacts to improve the ferry service expansion,' Mr Cox said. 'We believe that positive changes to the ferry jetty and infrastructure location, orientation and design could bring benefits to all parties. 'There are better ways to make the ferry project a success.' The group said in a submission to the State Government and City of Melville that 24-hour lighting and associated activity at the terminal would disrupt residents. 'Vehicles and buses servicing ferries every 25 minutes from 6.30am to 12.30am daily will increase traffic on Kintail and Canning Beach roads, exacerbating congestion and parking issues,' it said. 'The proposed multi-storey car park on the Tivoli site opposite the Raffles Waterfront will negatively affect the character and amenity of the area, exacerbate traffic congestion and make it difficult for vehicles to access local residences.' It said using the Canning Cloister Foreshore would cost less, have less impact on the environment and be closer to a larger residential population. Canning Bridge Ferry Action Group's preferred location. Credit: Supplied If the Applecross site remains, the group wants the terminal redesigned and the landing closer to deep water. 'This is a pivotal moment to get the balance right — for community, environment, and long-term sustainability,' Mr Cox said. According to Metronet, the Applecross terminal will be designed to support current and future high-density living and tourism and connect to other suburbs via existing bus routes. 'It will provide an attractive and scenic alternative for those wanting to travel across the Swan River, with current routes via the Narrows and the Causeway bridges heavily congested during peak times,' a fact sheet said. City of Melville CEO Gail Bowman said the council had not formed a position on the proposed ferry terminal. 'The city is aware of some community concerns with the proposal and encourages residents to give feedback to the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage through its online platform when the comment period opens,' she said. A statement from Transport Minister Rita Saffioti last month confirming the two new terminal locations said stakeholder engagement had been ongoing since October last year and would continue to be an important part of the project. An artist's impression of the proposed Applecross terminal. Credit: PTA The State Government planned to establish a reference group, with key water user groups within the Matilda Bay and Applecross areas to be invited to participate and provide advice on controls and measures so the waterway could be shared safely by all users. A development application for the two new terminals was expected to be submitted soon and the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage would seek public comment. Premier Roger Cook said a re-think was needed on how the Swan River was used when he announced the ferry expansion in February last year. 'Just imagine enjoying a pint at the Raffles in Applecross, then cruising to Optus Stadium to watch the footy. Or living on the Canning Bridge precinct and hopping on a ferry to go to work in the city. Or perhaps future residents of the Belmont Racecourse development catch a ferry over to UWA to study,' he said.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
ATO's call for PepsiCo to pay Australian tax over exclusive bottling deal thrown out by High Court
A bid by the Australian Tax Office to impose taxes on American soft drink giant PepsiCo has failed comprehensively today, with the High Court throwing out its case against the makers of Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Gatorade. The court has rejected two prongs of an ATO case claiming the company was liable to pay Australian taxes. The target for the ATO was an exclusive bottling agreement Schweppes Australia has to produce the famous drinks, using concentrate bought from an Australian Pepsi group company in Singapore. The key question in the case was whether there was a sharing of intellectual property, which would amount to a royalty that would attract a tax. The case involved a complex network of relationships between Schweppes Australia and various Pepsi companies along with the owners of Gatorade, Stokley-Van Camp Inc, which is a US resident member of the Pepsi Group. Under the exclusive bottling agreement, Schweppes Australia would pay the Australian-registered PepsiCo Beverage Singapore, for concentrate to make the drinks. More than 99 per cent of the money for the concentrate was then passed on to a Singaporean company in the PepsiCo group. The tax office told the High Court that under the exclusive arrangement, Schweppes got to use trademarks and other intellectual property to sell the drinks. But PepsiCo told the High Court the agreement made no mention of intellectual property or royalties, and it was not liable for the tax. The tax office said the lack of a specific allocation for intellectual property rights didn't mean the company did not derive income consistent with being a royalty. The dispute began in the financial year 2018 and 2019, when the tax office assessed PepsiCo and Stokley-Van Camp as non-residents liable for the royalty withholding tax. But the arrangements had long been in place. Schweppes Australia first entered into separate exclusive bottling agreements with PepsiCo and Stokley-Van Camp Inc, in 2009. The deal in which Schweppes Australia paid PepsiCo Beverage Singapore for the concentrate to make the drinks began in 2016. The ATO also put an alternative to the High Court, suggesting that if PepsiCo was not liable for royalty tax, it should have to pay a different tax set up in circumstances where there is a scheme to create a tax benefit. The Diverted Profits Tax was introduced in 2017. The ATO told the High Court the exclusive bottling agreements formed the scheme, which it says helped PepsiCo get a tax benefit. Today, the High Court ruled that the money paid by Schweppes to the Singapore Pepsi company for concentrate did not include a component that was a royalty for intellectual property, and in any case, none of the payments were credited to the American Pepsi companies. The court also found that the overseas companies did not obtain a tax benefit from any scheme.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Another Chinese automaker drops an Australian distributor
Chinese car brand GAC has cancelled a deal to distribute its cars in Australia through local company AGA Auto, stepping in to establish its own operations instead. It's the second Chinese manufacturer to take over Australian distribution this year following BYD's July 1 takeover from local company EVDirect. Guangzhou-based GAC sells petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in China, the Middle East, South America and Europe. As well as GAC-badged cars, it also sells cars under the Aion brand, GAC Trumpchi (only sold in China) and has a premium brand called Hyptec which it used to launch its stunning SSR electric supercar. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. A deal with Sydney-based AGA Auto to distribute cars in Australia was signed in 2022, but that has now been cancelled, with GAC set to enter Australia as a factory-backed operation after delays given the restructuring. "We have moved from a distributor-based model to an OEM direct-to-market approach, given hyper-competitiveness of the market," Jason Pecotic, GAC Australia chief operating officer (COO), told CarExpert. "The distributor is still part of the GAC fold, and we'll continue to work together with them running a number of dealers within our Australian network." Mr Pecotic became COO of GAC's local operation in April 2025 as the automaker geared up for an Australian launch, with AGA Auto CEO Charles Lau confirming the separation. "GAC and AGA have been undergoing background negotiation and handovers… and [AGA is] no longer the distributor for GAC Australia as GAC is looking to enter on an OEM operation," said Mr Lau. "We have other brands soon to be announced in due course and will keep you posted." Chinese automakers have taken over from local distributors in the past, and often gone on to enjoy greater success. Before GWM distributed its own vehicles here, for example, they were sold by Ateco which also briefly handled the Chery brand. MORE: China's GAC confirms Australian launch date, plans BYD Shark rival MORE: BYD drops local importer EVDirect, will distribute vehicles in Australia itself Content originally sourced from: Chinese car brand GAC has cancelled a deal to distribute its cars in Australia through local company AGA Auto, stepping in to establish its own operations instead. It's the second Chinese manufacturer to take over Australian distribution this year following BYD's July 1 takeover from local company EVDirect. Guangzhou-based GAC sells petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in China, the Middle East, South America and Europe. As well as GAC-badged cars, it also sells cars under the Aion brand, GAC Trumpchi (only sold in China) and has a premium brand called Hyptec which it used to launch its stunning SSR electric supercar. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. A deal with Sydney-based AGA Auto to distribute cars in Australia was signed in 2022, but that has now been cancelled, with GAC set to enter Australia as a factory-backed operation after delays given the restructuring. "We have moved from a distributor-based model to an OEM direct-to-market approach, given hyper-competitiveness of the market," Jason Pecotic, GAC Australia chief operating officer (COO), told CarExpert. "The distributor is still part of the GAC fold, and we'll continue to work together with them running a number of dealers within our Australian network." Mr Pecotic became COO of GAC's local operation in April 2025 as the automaker geared up for an Australian launch, with AGA Auto CEO Charles Lau confirming the separation. "GAC and AGA have been undergoing background negotiation and handovers… and [AGA is] no longer the distributor for GAC Australia as GAC is looking to enter on an OEM operation," said Mr Lau. "We have other brands soon to be announced in due course and will keep you posted." Chinese automakers have taken over from local distributors in the past, and often gone on to enjoy greater success. Before GWM distributed its own vehicles here, for example, they were sold by Ateco which also briefly handled the Chery brand. MORE: China's GAC confirms Australian launch date, plans BYD Shark rival MORE: BYD drops local importer EVDirect, will distribute vehicles in Australia itself Content originally sourced from: Chinese car brand GAC has cancelled a deal to distribute its cars in Australia through local company AGA Auto, stepping in to establish its own operations instead. It's the second Chinese manufacturer to take over Australian distribution this year following BYD's July 1 takeover from local company EVDirect. Guangzhou-based GAC sells petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in China, the Middle East, South America and Europe. As well as GAC-badged cars, it also sells cars under the Aion brand, GAC Trumpchi (only sold in China) and has a premium brand called Hyptec which it used to launch its stunning SSR electric supercar. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. A deal with Sydney-based AGA Auto to distribute cars in Australia was signed in 2022, but that has now been cancelled, with GAC set to enter Australia as a factory-backed operation after delays given the restructuring. "We have moved from a distributor-based model to an OEM direct-to-market approach, given hyper-competitiveness of the market," Jason Pecotic, GAC Australia chief operating officer (COO), told CarExpert. "The distributor is still part of the GAC fold, and we'll continue to work together with them running a number of dealers within our Australian network." Mr Pecotic became COO of GAC's local operation in April 2025 as the automaker geared up for an Australian launch, with AGA Auto CEO Charles Lau confirming the separation. "GAC and AGA have been undergoing background negotiation and handovers… and [AGA is] no longer the distributor for GAC Australia as GAC is looking to enter on an OEM operation," said Mr Lau. "We have other brands soon to be announced in due course and will keep you posted." Chinese automakers have taken over from local distributors in the past, and often gone on to enjoy greater success. Before GWM distributed its own vehicles here, for example, they were sold by Ateco which also briefly handled the Chery brand. MORE: China's GAC confirms Australian launch date, plans BYD Shark rival MORE: BYD drops local importer EVDirect, will distribute vehicles in Australia itself Content originally sourced from: Chinese car brand GAC has cancelled a deal to distribute its cars in Australia through local company AGA Auto, stepping in to establish its own operations instead. It's the second Chinese manufacturer to take over Australian distribution this year following BYD's July 1 takeover from local company EVDirect. Guangzhou-based GAC sells petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in China, the Middle East, South America and Europe. As well as GAC-badged cars, it also sells cars under the Aion brand, GAC Trumpchi (only sold in China) and has a premium brand called Hyptec which it used to launch its stunning SSR electric supercar. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. A deal with Sydney-based AGA Auto to distribute cars in Australia was signed in 2022, but that has now been cancelled, with GAC set to enter Australia as a factory-backed operation after delays given the restructuring. "We have moved from a distributor-based model to an OEM direct-to-market approach, given hyper-competitiveness of the market," Jason Pecotic, GAC Australia chief operating officer (COO), told CarExpert. "The distributor is still part of the GAC fold, and we'll continue to work together with them running a number of dealers within our Australian network." Mr Pecotic became COO of GAC's local operation in April 2025 as the automaker geared up for an Australian launch, with AGA Auto CEO Charles Lau confirming the separation. "GAC and AGA have been undergoing background negotiation and handovers… and [AGA is] no longer the distributor for GAC Australia as GAC is looking to enter on an OEM operation," said Mr Lau. "We have other brands soon to be announced in due course and will keep you posted." Chinese automakers have taken over from local distributors in the past, and often gone on to enjoy greater success. Before GWM distributed its own vehicles here, for example, they were sold by Ateco which also briefly handled the Chery brand. MORE: China's GAC confirms Australian launch date, plans BYD Shark rival MORE: BYD drops local importer EVDirect, will distribute vehicles in Australia itself Content originally sourced from:
