{"id":"bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997","name":"Bank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997","slug":"bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":30055,"registerId":"wa-bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Bank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nBank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997\n\nWestern Australia\n\nBank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997\n\nContents\n\n1. Short title 1\n\n2. Commencement 1\n\n3. Requirement for payment of amount instead of State taxes and charges 1\n\n4. Review of Act 2\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 3\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nBank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997\n\nAn Act to make provision for the payment of an amount instead of State taxes and charges, in relation to a merger to be provided for under the *Bank Mergers Act 1997*.\n\n##### 1. Short title\n\nThis Act may be cited as the *Bank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997* 1.\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThis Act comes into operation on the day on which the *Bank Mergers Act 1997* comes into operation 1.\n\n##### 3. Requirement for payment of amount instead of State taxes and charges\n\n(1) In this section —\n\n  bank and merger have the same meanings as they have in the *Bank Mergers Act 1997*.\n\n(2) This section applies to a merger that is to be provided for under the *Bank Mergers Act 1997*.\n\n(3) In relation to a merger to which this section applies, the Treasurer may require one or more of the banks concerned —\n\n(a) to pay to the Treasurer instead of any duties, taxes, charges, rates or other imposts for which the bank or banks concerned would, but for the merger being provided for under the *Bank Mergers Act 1997*, be liable under the law of this State as a result of, or in connection with, the merger an amount that is, in the opinion of the Treasurer, equal to the amount of those duties, taxes, charges, rates or other imposts; and\n\n(b) to pay that amount before a day specified by the Treasurer or to give a written undertaking to pay the amount on or after that day.\n\n(4) This section does not apply to any fee or charge payable to the Registrar of Titles in respect of any act, dealing or other transaction relating to land.\n\n##### 4. Review of Act\n\n(1) The Minister is to carry out a review of the operation and effectiveness of this Act as soon as practicable after the expiration of 5 years from its commencement.\n\n(2) In the course of the review the Minister is to consider and have regard to any matters that appear to the Minister to be relevant to the operation and effectiveness of this Act.\n\n(3) The Minister is to prepare a report based on the review and, as soon as is practicable after the report is prepared, is to cause it to be laid before each House of Parliament.\n\nNotes\n\n1 This is a compilation of the *Bank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997*. The following table contains information about that Act and any reprint.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Short title** | **Number and year** | **Assent** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| *Bank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997* | 9 of 1997 | 23 Jun 1997 | 23 Jun 1997 (see s. 2) |\n| **Reprint 1: The *Bank Mergers (Taxing) Act 1997* as at 20 Feb 2004** | | | |\n\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nbank 3(1)\n\nmerger 3(1)\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was unavailable. No comparison between original intent and enacted provisions is possible."},"complexity_factors":["No substantive legislative text was retrievable — only a website error message was provided","Analysis is impossible without the actual statutory content","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed from a title alone"],"plain_english_summary":"Likely a Western Australian 1997 Act that imposed or validated taxation linked to bank mergers, affecting banks and parties involved in amalgamations by creating a duty or charge on those transactions. It matters because it would determine tax liability on bank consolidation deals. For authoritative text, check the WA Parliamentary Counsel’s Office website."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"No. The Act is narrowly focused: it permits the Treasurer to require banks in mergers under the Bank Mergers Act 1997 to pay an amount instead of specified State taxes and charges, with an explicit exclusion for Registrar of Titles fees (s3(4)) and a mandatory review after five years (s4). It does not expand the State's general taxing powers beyond this merger-specific mechanism (s3)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow subject-matter: applies only to mergers provided for under the Bank Mergers Act 1997 (s3(2))","Discretionary valuation: Treasurer determines the amount 'in the opinion of the Treasurer' (s3(3)(a))","Payment mechanics: allows upfront payment or a written undertaking for later payment (s3(3)(b))","Explicit exclusion for Registrar of Titles fees (s3(4))","Relies on definitions taken from another Act (bank, merger defined by Bank Mergers Act 1997) (s3(1))","Statutory review requirement after 5 years to assess operation and effectiveness (s4)"],"plain_english_summary":"Under this Act the Treasurer may require one or more banks involved in a merger under the Bank Mergers Act 1997 to pay an amount in lieu of any State duties, taxes, charges or rates they would otherwise incur, equal in the Treasurer’s opinion to those imposts, payable by a date or under a written undertaking. The Act excludes Registrar of Titles fees and requires a review of the Act’s operation five years after commencement."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: facilitating the 1997 bank merger (specifically the proposed merger between Bank of Western Australia and another institution) by providing a tax payment mechanism. It has not expanded beyond this narrow, transaction-specific remit."},"complexity_factors":["Only 4 operative sections with minimal text","Just 2 defined terms ('bank' and 'merger'), both incorporated by reference from another Act","Single substantive provision (section 3) with straightforward conditional logic","One explicit exception (section 3(4)) excluding land registry fees","No nested definitions, no cross-references beyond the companion Act, no delegated legislation provisions","Sunset review mechanism is standard and simple"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short Western Australian law from 1997 that deals with bank mergers. When banks merge under the related *Bank Mergers Act 1997*, they would normally have to pay various state taxes and charges (like stamp duty). This Act allows the Treasurer to require the merging banks to pay a single lump sum amount **instead** of all those separate taxes and charges. The Treasurer decides how much this payment should be—roughly equal to what the taxes would have been—and sets the deadline for payment. The only exception is that banks still have to pay normal fees to the Registrar of Titles for anything involving land transactions. The Act also requires a review after 5 years to check if it's working properly."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997","history":"/api/acts/bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997/history","analysis":"/api/acts/bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/bank-mergers-taxing-act-1997/documents"}}