Upstamping
53As amended, s 208(2) of the Act required a comparison between the amount secured by the mortgage upon the making of an advance or further advance with the amount secured by the mortgage at the time a liability to duty last arose.
54The amendments to s 208(2) of the Act applied to the advance constituted by the Variation Deed. This is because Sch 1, cl 76 of the Act, introduced by the State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Act 2009, provided that the amendments to chapter 7 effected by that Act extended to the assessment of duty in respect of a mortgage first executed before 1 July 2009 if an advance or further advance was made on or after 1 July 2009 that was secured by the mortgage.
55Beachside and Rebel argue that s 208(2) as amended by the State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Act 2009 was not enlivened because the "amount secured by the mortgage" did not change. The "result" of the "advance" was not to increase the amount so secured.
56Beachside and Rebel say that the Variation Deed did three things. It ended the capitalisation of interest by the sweeping of bank accounts to reduce the amount owed, which reductions were deemed to be redemptions of the notes. There was to be an amortisation of the amounts owed under the notes with interest payable in cash. The third thing the Variation Deed did was to extend the termination date. None of these matters, it was submitted, increased the amount secured. It was, on execution, $92,006,545 and it was that amount or less when the Variation Deed was executed.
57That argument might lead to the result that the Chief Commissioner might assess mortgage duty on execution of the security documents on $92,006,545. But the Act, Sch 1, cl 76(5) provides that the amendments introduced by the State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Act 2009 do not affect the assessment of duty in respect of a liability date occurring before 1 July 2009.
58The Chief Commissioner says that the matters relied upon by Beachside and Rebel are irrelevant. The proper analysis is that the amount secured by the charge ceased to be no amount and became $92,006,545 plus capitalised interest making the total amount $102,600,000.
59I agree with this submission. Because the Charge secured payment of an unpaid purchase price rather than repayment of a loan, there was no amount secured upon execution of the Charge. But when the Variation Deed was executed, there was an advance by forbearance and the amount secured then became the amount of any advances made for which the Charge was security.
60Beachside and Rebel take issue with the Chief Commissioner's statement that the words "as a result of" in s 208(2), while requiring a causal connection, do not require that connection to be the direct or only connection. The Chief Commissioner referred to Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v GSF Australia Pty Ltd [2005] HCA 26; (2005) 221 CLR 568 at 580-581 [37] where McHugh J said:
"Although the expression 'a result of...[the] defect' requires a causal connection between the defect and the injury, that connection does not have to be a 'direct' connection or the only connection. The section speaks of the injury being 'a' result of, not 'the' result of, the defect. Mason P thought that, because the injury must be 'a result of' and not 'the result of' the defect, the injury need not be the 'direct' or 'effective' or 'efficient' result of the defect. The use of the indefinite article 'a' instead of the definite article 'the' suggests that the defect in the vehicle does not have to be the sole or even the predominant cause of the injury."
61There is a danger in applying the construction of a term in one context to that in another. In this case it is unnecessary to determine the question because as a direct result of the advance in this case, the amount secured by the mortgage exceeds the amount secured by it on execution.
62Beachside and Rebel object to the Chief Commissioner's inclusion of the capitalised interest in the amount secured by the Charge. I agree with that objection.
63In Bank of New South Wales v Brown [1983] HCA 1; (1983) 151 CLR 514, the bank charged interest on the daily balance of an account with six monthly rests. At the expiration of each six monthly period the accrued interest was debited to the account. At each six monthly rest, interest was charged not only on the previous principal sum but also on accrued interest debited to the account.
64Section 112 of the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) provided that where a creditor had proved a debt that was for, or included, interest, the interest for the purposes of a dividend would be allowed at a rate not exceeding 8 per cent. It was held that, for the purposes of s 112, accrued interest as so debited to the account should be treated as interest.
65Gibbs CJ said this was so because the interest was not converted into capital and the rights of third parties had to be determined on the footing that the interest retained its character.
66Mason and Wilson JJ said the section should be read as referring to an amount whose original character was interest, even if it subsequently became capitalised by arrangements between the parties.
67Brennan and Dawson JJ said the character of a debt for interest was not altered when it was capitalised.
68In the case before me, the principal was $92,006,545, the face value of the notes. Any further amounts owing by Beachside and Rebel were by way of interest, which was initially capitalised but was payable in cash after the Variation Deed.
69The Chief Commissioner accepts that where a mortgage secures a principal sum and the mortgage provides that security extends to interest payable whether or not paid, the amount secured is only the principal sum and does not extend to the interest (Prudential Mutual Assurance Investment and Loan Association v Curzon (1852) 8 Ex 97 at 105, 107; 155 ER 1275 at 1278, 1279). The mere debiting of sums of unpaid interest does not have the effect of converting interest into capital (Brown at 523, 532-533, 545-546 and 555).
70The Chief Commissioner submits that where, as here, by agreement, an obligation to pay interest is converted into an obligation to pay an additional advance, then the amount secured will include that additional advance.
71I cavil with that position. What was agreed between the parties was that interest be capitalised. That did not involve an additional advance. The obligation remained one to pay $92,006,545 plus interest.
72The Chief Commissioner says that the broad language of s 206(a)(iii) in speaking of the "forbearance to require the payment of money owing on any account whatever" removed the distinction between principal and interest. I do not agree. Capitalised interest was not an advance for mortgage duty purposes.
73The Chief Commissioner acknowledges this but says that the capitalised interest became an advance once the date for payment was deferred, or extended. The original character of the capitalised interest became irrelevant for mortgage duty purposes once the forbearance occurred.
74In my view that is not a correct analysis of the effect of the legislation. If capitalised interest is not an advance for the purposes of s 208(2) of the Act, that provision must operate upon an advance by forbearance with respect to $92,006,545.
75In my judgment, s 208(2) of the Act requires a comparison to be made between the amount secured upon the making of an advance by forbearance and the amount secured when a liability to duty last arose. In this case that comparison is between $92,006,545 and nil.
76There was an obligation to upstamp the Charge upon the execution of the Variation Deed if all other requirements of the legislation with respect to upstamping were met.