Stephen Sharpley

Supermarket giant Coles has lost an appeal over $40 million in tax credits it had claimed for fuel that evaporated or leaked from tanks at its service stations, after a judge described the supermarket giant’s argument as “artificial”.

A claim by Coles for $40 million in tax credits for fuel that evaporates or leaks from the 3,000 tanks at its service stations — based on an argument that the company buys extra fuel to account for the loss — is “completely unreal”, a lawyer for the tax office told a court Monday.