A common critique of most measures of income inequality, which are based on a single year's income, is that they fail to take account of income mobility. If income fluctuations are large, and individuals can smooth consumption, then high inequality and high mobility may be no worse than low inequality and low mobility. To test...

The final report from the Productivity Commission into executive remuneration does not recommend any far-reaching changes that will address the excessiveness of executive pay in Australia. However, various policy options are available to rein in executive pay, including: removing the tax concession on capital gains; increasing the top marginal rate of income tax; and, establishing...

This report recommends that corporate governance should be strengthened through the introduction of independent remuneration committees, measures to promote board accountability and shareholder engagement, enhanced pay disclosure and increased pressure on those boards that are unresponsive to shareholder concerns. Strong growth in executive remuneration from the 1990s to 2007, and instances of large payments despite...

This paper is a critique of the privatisation of the ‘Public Purpose Rule’ in the compulsory acquisition of land in Australia and United States.

Capital gains tax raises little revenue, but at a substantial cost in terms of economic efficiency, says CIS Research Fellow Dr Stephen Kirchner in his new report. At best, CGT is an anti-avoidance measure. Yet CGT is itself readily avoided through the deferred realisation of capital gains.