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Finance TaxationCGTHARD

An Australian resident inherited a property from their deceased parent in 2020 valued at $400,000 and sells it in 2024 for $520,000. The property was the parent's principal place of residence. What is the cost base for CGT purposes?

Correct Answer

B) $400,000, its market value at the parent's date of death.

Australia has no general stepped-up cost base. For most post-CGT assets a beneficiary inherits the deceased's cost base. The exception applies here: a dwelling that was the deceased's main residence just before death (and not being used to produce income) takes a cost base equal to its market value at the date of death, so the cost base is $400,000. Because the sale came more than two years after death, the gain above $400,000 is taxable unless the beneficiary (or another qualifying person) used the home as their main residence.

Answer Options
A
Nil, because inherited property has no cost base for the beneficiary.
B
$400,000, its market value at the parent's date of death.
C
$520,000, the price the beneficiary receives on the 2024 sale.
D
The parent's original purchase price plus costs, carried across to the beneficiary as it stood.

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

stepped-up cost baseinheritance CGTmarket value at deathDivision 128capital gains tax
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