Question
Can a trust be a shareholder of a company?
Answer
A Trust can be the beneficial owner but cannot directly hold the shares of a company. The trustees of the trust, either individuals or a corporate must hold the shares on behalf of the trust.
In the case of a hybrid trust, with both an individual and a corporate trustee, we are not able to cater for them to act as joint trustees of the shares on behalf of the trust. This is a limitation of our forms. You would need to prepare the lodgement via ASIC directly.