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You are leaving SSGA.com
The website you are accessing is created and maintained by another entity. We make no representation or warranty with respect to the information contained on the site or that it is appropriate in all jurisdictions or countries, or for use by all investors or counterparties. The products and services discussed at this site may not be appropriate for sale or use by all investors or counterparties. By providing this link, we are not providing you with investment advice or offering securities for sale to you. All persons and entities that access this site do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws and regulations.
You are leaving SSGA.com
The website you are accessing is created and maintained by another entity. We make no representation or warranty with respect to the information contained on the site or that it is appropriate in all jurisdictions or countries, or for use by all investors or counterparties. The products and services discussed at this site may not be appropriate for sale or use by all investors or counterparties. By providing this link, we are not providing you with investment advice or offering securities for sale to you. All persons and entities that access this site do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws and regulations.
ETFs Minimise Capital Gains Distributions
Investors can seek to minimise the impact of capital gains taxes by choosing tax-efficient investment product with low turnoverspread over a widely diversified portfolio.
Among their many more obvious advantages — low cost, intraday liquidity, transparency and ease of use — ETFs are touted for their tax efficiency. (Note that tax efficiency refers to how well an investment minimises an investors’ taxes while they own it). ETFs typically generate fewer capital gains distributions than unlisted funds for two reasons:
The unique structure of ETFs gives tax-aware investors a chance to minimise capital gains distributions and allow for more assets to remain invested —increasing the growth potential of the investment.
The Advantage of Dividend Imputation
The dividend imputation system in Australia can represent an important advantage for investors over the dividend taxation schemes found in other countries because it essentially eliminates the double taxation of corporate profits in Australia. If Australian corporate taxes have already been paid on dividend distributions, those taxes need not be paid again at the personal level by investors.
The corporate taxes paid are attributed, or imputed, to the Australian investor through tax credits called franking credits. These franking credits can be used to reduce an investor’s total tax liability to account for the taxes on dividends already paid by companies. For investors who are individuals or complying superannuation entities, any excess franking credits can also be refunded at the end of the year if the investor’s franking credits is greater than their tax liability.
Let’s look at an example to illustrate. ABC Corporation makes $1.00 per share in pre-tax profit during a given period and would like to pay it all out in the form of dividends. After paying the 30% corporate tax, ABC Corporation distributes $0.70 per share in fully franked dividends. To the Australian investor, this is equivalent to being paid an unfranked, “grossed up” dividend of $1.00 per share. The 30% corporate taxes already paid will accompany the dividend in the form of a $0.30 per share franking credit and act similar to an “IOU” from the tax office.
From this we can see that:
Dividend + Franking Credit = Grossed Up Dividend
The taxpayer must now pay the appropriate level of tax on the grossed up dividend less any franking credit. In other words, the franking credit can be used to offset taxes due on the dividend (for 45% and 32.5% marginal tax rate investor) or entitle the investor to a tax refund (19% and 0% marginal tax rate investor). An investor with 0% taxes due will be entitled to receive the entire franking credit back as a tax refund.
Dividends and Franking Credits for the Australian Investor
A company that pays all its income tax domestically in Australia will usually pay a fully franked dividend, i.e. a dividend with a franking proportion of 100%. However, some companies’ franking proportions can be less than 100%, especially for companies paying taxes outside of Australia.
Other companies that do not pay any Australian tax, and have no franking credits from prior years available to roll forward, may pay an unfranked dividend. The franked vs unfranked proportion of a stock will therefore have a material effect on after-tax returns making it an important issue for all investors to consider.
ETF Investors Can Receive Franking Credits and Tax-Free Distributions
Equity-based ETFs represent a basket of multiple stocks that pay varying levels of dividends, at varying levels of franking proportions. Investors holding Australian ETFs on and around the distribution dates (which can be quarterly or semi-annually, for example, month end June and December) could receive valuable franking credits along with any distributions they receive. As well as distributing income like dividends or interest, ETFs also distribute any realised gains from the investments they hold. Under the capital gains tax (CGT) rules, some of these realised gains may be classified as “discounted.” ETF investors may be eligible to receive up to half of the realised gains distributed by an ETF tax-free.