2026

The failure modes of “good structuring”

Published Date: 19 Jun 2026

 

Structuring advice is often judged by its technical elegance at inception rather than its ability to withstand real world conditions over time. This article examines how and why well-designed structures fail in practice, distinguishing between design risk (where the structure is inherently misaligned with the client’s circumstances) and implementation risk (where a sound design is undermined by inconsistent execution). Drawing on recurring failure patterns observed across private groups, the article explores breakdowns in banking practices, governance, inter-entity flows and control. It argues that most structural failures arise not from flawed design, but from gradual misalignment between the structure and how the business is actually operated. The article concludes by proposing a practical annual audit approach to identify and address emerging issues before they crystallise into tax, commercial or evidentiary risk.

Author(s)

Sorry, this is subscriber only content.

To gain access to this material and much more - Subscribe Now.

(Note: Members can access Taxation in Australia journal articles without a Tax Knowledge Exchange subscription - please log in to access).

Already a Subscriber? Login now

Details

The material is copyright. Apart any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research criticism or review, as permitted under the copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from The Tax Institute.

Unless expressly stated, opinions are not that of The Tax Institute, which accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within it.

The Tax Institute
(ABN 45 008 392 372 (PRV14016))

("TTI")

The Tax Institute is a Recognised Tax Agent Association (RTAA) under the Tax Agent Services Regulations 2009. 

Copyright Statement

All materials provided on this site are protected by copyright and are owned by or licensed to TTI.

Except as expressly permitted by TTI or the copyright owner, any person or company who uses this site must not use, reproduce, redistribute, retransmit, publish or otherwise transfer, or commercially exploit, the materials or any information, software or other content, in whole or in part, which is available through this site.

Tags

2026

Share this page