Monitors prices, costs and profits in order to assess the general impact of the carbon tax scheme in Australia. Executive summary Pursuant to section 95ZE of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA), the Minister gave the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) a Direction to undertake formal monitoring of the prices, costs and profits...

The Palmer United Party recently announced its intention to block a number of government savings measures. This paper provides an overview of the distribution of those measures. The deferral of the increase in the bottom tax threshold was included in the package of measures to abolish the carbon tax. The rest of the measures relate...

This pamphlet aims to provide detailed coverage of where Australian tax dollars are spent. Overview Taxation is imposed through the coercive power of the state. Politicians often speak of “asking” taxpayers to pay more of this or that tax, but in reality they can and do tell citizens what to pay. It is vital to...

Inequality between those with the most and those with the least is rising in Australia. Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but there are many people in our society who are falling behind. For instance, the minimum wage and unemployment benefits have failed to keep pace with the rise in average...

This audit finds deficiencies in the Department of Environment and Primary Industries’ management of the Environmental Contribution Levy. Overview Since 2004–05, Victorians have been paying for the costs of sustainable water-related initiatives through their water bills. This has been in the form of the Environmental Contribution Levy (ECL), which is linked to the revenue of...