The AFR’s economics editor Alan Mitchell has taken a Treasury briefing. He is out this morning offering all sorts of reasons why a broader, higher GST is a brilliant master-stroke that deserves universal applause. He knows, we all know, a…
The chorus continues to grow for the inclusion of Land Taxes in the national tax debate. Economics editor for The Age Ross Gittins advocates his support for Land Tax in How to fix everything: Why? Partly because GST is a…
Last Thursday Catherine Cashmore and I addressed the Select Committee into the Scrutiny of Government Budget Measures. Read the Hansard transcription. We felt it important to put on the public record the various value capture mechanisms with commentary on their…
Government reform is a grind. It chews up political capital and can destroy public careers in a moment. Change provokes furious responses from vested interests while those who gain are dispersed and ungrateful. WA Treasurer Mike Nahan has solved this…
Australians love to whinge about our bust federal system. It is a national sport where we stand around with hands in pockets and call out “Aorta!” “Aorta deregulate!” “Aorta fund schools! “Aorta cut taxes!” “Aorta build roads! Consider our public…
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delighting Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk by announcing a federal contribution of $95 million for the Gold Coast light rail project. Journalists have leapt on this new policy stance, different from the previous PM…
Professors John Freebairn and Miranda Stewart have penned an opinion piece today in The Age with a welcome call for state tax reform that could save taxpayers tens of billions every year. Most taxes carry deadweight losses – value destroyed…
MHR Dan Tehan (Liberal, Wannon) had an op-ed in today’s Australian Financial Review, States dragging their heels on tax reform, criticising them for clinging to very bad taxes, notably Stamp Duty on property conveyancing. “Home buyers across the country are…
The Andrews government is capping local governments rate rises to CPI after fifteen years of six per cent rises in a low inflation environment. Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins’ Fair Go Rates System, administered by the Essential Services Commission,…
Letter to the Editor Australian Financial Review Sept 1, 2015 Proponents of increasing either payroll tax or the GST are like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, dancing around and seeming to argue, yet holding hands (“Payroll tax surfaces as the next GST”,…