The Commonwealth Government could save about $1 billion a year by winding back three tax breaks for older Australians that are unduly generous and have no sensible policy rationale. Seniors pay less tax and get a higher rebate on private health insurance than do younger workers on the same income. They do so through the...

Following Duncan Storrar’s appearance on the ABC’s 'Q&A' program on 9 May 2016, one of the milder reactions to his questions about tax cuts was an article in The Australian - “ABC’s ‘budget fairness’ victim pays no net tax”. Mr Storrar was labelled as a 'zero net taxpayer', an expression used to describe people who...

Newly available archival documents give insight into the Hawke Government (1983-1991) political and consultative processes, which resulted in the Australia’s Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Assessment Act 1987 (Cth). The recently unpacked private papers from 1984 of Dr Craig Emerson (a Ministerial economic advisor at the time of petroleum tax reform) provide a unique perspective into...

Many tax policies in Australia and comparable countries are based on a completely rational individual decision maker. However, recent evidence in the fields often referred to as behavioural insights (combining behavioural economics and psychology) have shown that people are neither completely rational not completely irrational. Rather, they exhibit predictable biases that reduce the probability of...

Overview Australia needs to cut company tax to 25% to boost business investment, which is currently at recessionary levels. An investment boost will grow the economy, leading to increased wages, employment, national income, exports and productivity. Business investment is being hampered by our uncompetitive company tax, which is highly inefficient and much more burdensome than...