Last week, Philip Soos announced Australia had achieved global leadership in an exciting new arena: “Australian households have more debt compared to the size of the country’s economy than any other in the world.” According to LF Economics, we seized this dubious...
BLOG: Commentary
Environment minister Greg Hunt’s new ‘value capture’ language
Environment minister Greg Hunt, on behalf of the Turnbull government, is offering new language about ‘value capture’ – a fresh way to fund infrastructure using the uplift in land values from civic investment. From a speech to be delivered to the Sydney Business...
The road to neo-serfdom
Late last year, the NSW Liberal/National government revealed plans to sell off the NSW Lands Office and retained JPMorgan to produce a scoping study. The Victorian Liberals tried this on before the last state election, and lost. Many will simply see this as part of...
Support a GST increase? Think about the children first
By Michael Janda Online business reporter with the ABC. Reposted from The Drum Increasing the GST is widely presented as the logical, perhaps the only, solution to Australia's revenue shortfall, but it is a deeply flawed tax and there are better alternatives, writes...
Humans vs Houses: Australia’s perverse tax system
by Cameron Murray Reposted from macrobusiness I often joke that my investment property earns more than I do. Thinking more about this lead me to the realisation that my investment property has a privileged position in the tax system when compared to a measly old human...
Currency Cold War Breakout
In other news, our colleague Michael Hudson (who will appear on next week's Renegade Economists radio show) provides his unique insight into geo-politics. Cross-posted from his site: On December 8, the IMF’s Chief Spokesman Gerry Rice sent a note saying: “The...
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
The economic impact of stamp duty, a study by Deloitte Access Economics for the Property Council of Australia released yesterday, finds Australia’s GDP would increase by $3.3 billion and real consumption by $9.7 billion if conveyancing stamp duty was replaced by an...
Vacant homes up 28% despite housing crisis
Media Release: Speculative Vacancies Defy Housing Affordability Pressures - Again 82,724 properties lie vacant and unoccupied across Greater Melbourne, according to Prosper Australia’s 2015 Speculative Vacancies Report released today. Key findings: • 4.8% of...
Learning history’s failed economics?
“The relevance of Moses’ economics to our own tax-burdened days is startling” proclaimed The Viking Press’ blurb for Francis Neilson’s book “The Eleventh Commandment” on its release in 1933. However, during those early days of the Great Depression, policy makers made...
An obituary
RIP Australia Australia was not overrun and defeated. It became dead at heart, and the rot and canker spread to its extremities. Federally, proportional representation elected only the Senate, because rent-seekers who divided and ruled the nation charged that...