More light has been shed on the tax affairs of the secretive German supermarket Aldi, with the latest Tax Office figures showing it paid $71.56 million in tax in 2014-15.
Aldi Foods had total income of $5.8 billion for the 2014-15 financial year, taxable income of $238.5 million and tax payable of $71.56 million, Australian Taxation Office figures for the 2014-15 financial year show.
More NSW News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:45
Aldi brands put to taste test
Aldi brands put to taste test
Five journalists blind test and rate a selection of Aldiâs starters, beverages, easy meals and desserts against market leading alternatives.
Up Next
Near-miss during Sydney's Big Boat Challenge
- Video duration
- 00:25
- Video duration
- 00:25
Near-miss during Sydney's Big Boat ...
Near-miss during Sydney's Big Boat Challenge
Video taken from on board the Beau Geste/Cloudy Bay shows the moment super maxi Scallywag nearly collided with a traffic patrol boat during Tuesday's race on Sydney Harbour. Video courtesy of Lisa Ratcliff.
Up Next
Bushfires burn out of control in NSW
- Video duration
- 01:00
- Video duration
- 01:00
Bushfires burn out of control in NSW
Bushfires burn out of control in NSW
Firefighters tackle two out of control blazes threatening homes in New South Wales.
Up Next
Sydney breaks heat record for December
- Video duration
- 02:23
- Video duration
- 02:23
Sydney breaks heat record for December
Sydney breaks heat record for December
Sydney residents struggle as temperatures soar across New South Wales.
Up Next
Northern Beaches Hospital flythrough
- Video duration
- 03:23
- Video duration
- 03:23
Northern Beaches Hospital flythrough
Northern Beaches Hospital flythrough
The $1 billion Northern Beaches Hospital will include 488 beds, a 50-space emergency department, 14 operating theatres, and will employ 1,300 staff. Vision: NSW Government
Up Next
Firefighters battle blaze near Wollongong area
- Video duration
- 00:37
- Video duration
- 00:37
Firefighters battle blaze near Wollongong ...
Firefighters battle blaze near Wollongong area
Video captures fires burning in the Primbee, Wollongong area in New South Wales.
Up Next
Sydney weather: the heat is on
- Video duration
- 01:00
- Video duration
- 01:00
Sydney weather: the heat is on
Sydney weather: the heat is on
The entire Sydney basin will see temperatures climb towards 40 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday with little temperature drop overnight.
Up Next
Family shocked after Barbieri jail term slashed
- Video duration
- 01:43
- Video duration
- 01:43
Family shocked after Barbieri jail term ...
Family shocked after Barbieri jail term slashed
The family of murdered police officer Bryson Anderson and the entire New South Wales police force are left in shock after the court of criminal appeal cut almost half the sentence handed to the officer's killer, Mitchell Barbieri.
Aldi brands put to taste test
Five journalists blind test and rate a selection of Aldiâs starters, beverages, easy meals and desserts against market leading alternatives.
This means tax payable as a percentage of taxable income was steady at 30 per cent. Previous figures released by the ATO showed Aldi Foods paid $81.6 million in tax for 2014, on $5 billion revenue.
Some global companies have been accused of managing their taxable income down by loading inappropriate costs into their income statement.
The ATO figures provide some insight into Aldi's tax affairs, which largely remain private because the company is not required to lodge detailed accounts with the corporate regulator.
The figures also showed Aldi's rivals Wesfarmers (which owns Coles supermarkets) and Woolworths were Australia's 9th and 10th biggest taxpayers.
Wesfarmers paid $958.8 million in tax, making its tax rate 28.6 per cent. Woolworths paid $898.75 million, taking its tax rate to 28.9 per cent, the ATO figures showed.
In more recent figures, Woolworths' 2016 annual report showed it paid $848.5 million in income tax on $60.19 billion in total sales. Wesfarmers' tax contribution report, released on Monday, said the company paid $880 million on $65.98 billion in revenue.
Aldi, a privately held chain and one of the world's biggest retailers, is structured in an unusual way in Australia.
It is structured as a limited partnership, meaning it is not required to be audited nor to disclose its accounts to the corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
But in addition to Aldi stores (limited partnership), Aldi has two Australian companies: Aldi Pty Ltd and Aldi Foods.
These are wholly owned subsidiaries of Hofer KG (Austria). Aldi Foods is the designated head of the tax consolidated group in Australia, and it is the Aldi Foods figures the ATO has released.
Aldi Foods' accounts, lodged with ASIC for the 2015 calendar year, stated it has a 20 per cent interest in the net profit of the limited partnership and described Aldi Foods as a "small proprietary company that is controlled by a foreign company".
As a head entity, Aldi Foods has consolidated the tax obligations of Aldi's entire operations in Australia.
Aldi said last month it had yet to decide whether to sign up to a tax transparency code that has led to more big businesses, particularly multinationals, releasing information about the tax they pay.
Wesfarmers said on Monday it "supports the concept of voluntary tax transparency as an important measure for all large companies to provide assurance to the Australian community that their tax obligations are being appropriately met".