Making Life Less Taxing
Shawcross Consulting
David Shawcross - My Journey
It has been an incredibly exciting journey that has brought me to where I am today. I believe that everything we do in our lives both professionally and personally shapes the person we are and the advisor we become.
Whether it is solving a complex tax matter, umpiring AFL football or trekking in the Himalayas the same level of professionalism, training and commitment is required to be successful. There is nothing more rewarding than achieving something that you never thought would be possible.
After 17 years working for the ATO and 17 years working for one of the Big 4 accounting firms I decided that I want to focus more on the things that I am passionate about. I want to use the knowledge and experience that I have gained over the past 34 years to help those who need it most and help to remove some of the stress involved in dealing with their on-going tax obligations.
Over recent years I have met many people, businesses and not for profit organisations who are either not getting the right advice or are not able to afford the advice that they need. This is one of the main reasons that I decided to establish Shawcross Consulting. I want to be able to provide quality advice and assistance to those who need it most which is also affordable. I also want to develop and maintain strong relationships with my clients and work with them so that they can achieve their goals.
Details of my professional background in the ATO and a Big 4 firm, as well as my experiences in Umpiring AFL football and trekking in the Himalayas are summarised below. All of these experiences have led me to where I am today.
The ATO - where it all began
6 months after leaving high school I began working for the ATO in what is now the Duxton Hotel. While working in the ATO I was able to progress my career in tax as well as complete my Bachelor of Business Degree on a part time basis.
During my time in the ATO I witnessed significant changes in the tax laws as well as the way in which the ATO administered these laws. Some of the changes included:
- Change from manual assessing to self assessment
- Introduction of Fringe Benefits Tax, Capital Gains tax, Part IVA and legislation in relation to financial derivatives and foreign investment funds
- Introduction of computer technology in the work place
- Introduction of strategic audit programs such as the Large Case Program targeting the top 100 Corporate Groups
I was fortunate enough to spend 3 1/2 years working on the first Large Case Audit conducted by the ATO. As part of this Audit we developed a financial analysis data base which was adopted nationally across the Large Case Audit Program. While working in this team I also became the youngest person in the ATO at the time to be promoted to Executive Officer Level.
I spent another 7 1/2 years working in the audit area which included managing a number of specific Audit projects.
In 1995 I had the opportunity to establish and lead the FBT Team in WA as well as become a member of the National FBT Leadership team.
Umpiring AFL football
In 1993 I began what ended up being a 20 year career as a Goal Umpire in the WAFL and AFL. It was a fantastic journey and an absolute privilege to be part of what is Australia's biggest Sports Entertainment.
In my first year I started umpiring in the WAFL Colts. In my second year I umpired in the WAFL Reserves and then in my third year I umpired my first WAFL league game. In 1997 I was added to the AFL development squad and also umpired my first of 3 WAFL League Grand Finals.
In May 1998 I umpired my first AFL game at the WACA ground between West Coast and the Western Bulldogs. This was an epic game which saw me adjudicate the first 19 goals of the game - which I later found out was a record for a Goal Umpire on Debut in the AFL - a record which still stands.
I umpired for 11 seasons on the AFL Panel and officiated in a total of 103 AFL games, which included 4 Finals - 3 at the MCG and 1 at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide.
Some other highlights of my AFL umpiring career include:
- 2006 AFL Pre-season Grand Final at Etihad Stadium
- 2006 Exhibition game at the Oval in London
- 2 International Rules Tests between Australia and Ireland
- Life Membership of the AFLUA
After retiring from the AFL in 2008 I returned to umpire in the WAFL for another 4 years. During this time I umpired my third WAFL League Grand Final and I also umpired in 2 State Games. When I retired from umpiring in 2012 I had officiated in 250 WAFL League games.
The total of 353 WAFL/AFL games is the current games record for a Goal Umpire in the WAFL.
Other highlights from my WAFL umpiring career include:
- Life Membership of the WANFLUA
- 200 Club Member of the WAFL
- 2013 Umpire Legend
- 2016 inductee into the WA Umpiring Hall of Fame
- President of the WA Umpires Association from 2001 to 2005
The Big 4 experience
In 1999 after a 17 year career in the ATO I decided to leave and continue my tax career with one of the Big 4 accounting firms - although it was still a Big 5 at the time.
This change coincided with the introduction of the GST, which I saw as a fantastic opportunity to be involved with the introduction of a brand new tax in Australia.
As part of the Indirect Tax Team my primary role was to assist clients with the implementation of systems and processes to manage their GST obligations. This was followed up with post implementation reviews.
I also gained substantial experience in assisting clients with the Financial Acquisitions Threshold Test (FAT) as well as the Margin Scheme.
Base on my knowledge of the FAT Test I developed a Tool to undertake the calculations as well as assisting clients with the collation of all the information required. This Tool was used to successfully defend a number of ATO audits as well as support some significant refund claims for clients.
My work in relation to the Margin Scheme resulted in some significant GST refund for clients in the property development industry.
In addition to GST I was also responsible for managing the provision of Employment Tax Consulting and Compliance Services to clients. This included:
- Fringe Benefits Tax
- Payroll Tax
- PAYG Withholding
- Superannuation Guarantee
Based on my employment tax knowledge and my relationships with the ATO and the State Revenue Office I was able to save several clients significant amounts of money in resolving issues in relation to FBT, Payroll Tax and Superannuation Guarantee. In one case the savings were almost $5m.
During the last 3 years I was also responsible for managing the provision of income tax services for expatriate employees for a number of Global Companies.
Trekking in the Himalayas
In February of 2007 over a quiet beer in the Como Hotel 2 close friends and myself made the decision to trek to Mt Everest Base Camp - 5,364m in the Himalayas in Nepal. 18 months later after a lot of preparation and training we set off for Nepal and the journey of a life time.
After an overnight stay in Kathmandu we set off in an 18 seat plane for Lukla, arguably the most dangerous airport in the world. At an altitude of 2,800m it sits on the side of the mountain and is only 500m long and 50m wide with the mountain at the end of the runway.
From Lukla it is an 8 day trek up the mountain and a 3 to 4 day trek back. On day 7 of the trek we arrived in Lobuche which is at 4,900m. It was at this point that one of our team had to turn back with altitude sickness.
Not knowing how sick our friend was and knowing that he was going to receive medical treatment we decided to continue on to Everest Base Camp. However, by the time we got back to meet up with him the next day he had already been helicoptered to Kathmandu. As we still had another 3 days to trek down the mountain by the time we arrived back in Kathmandu he had already flown back to Australia. We later found out that if he had continued with us the he could have died.
This trek was physically and mentally one of the hardest things that I have ever done and is also one of my greatest personal achievements. The attraction of the Himalayas and the Nepali people is powerful and has drawn me back there on 3 more occasions. Sitting in the middle of the Himalayas really helps to put life into perspective.