The goal of this report is to provide a framework for improving the taxation of savings in Australia over the medium to long term and to demonstrate a consistent approach for evaluating policy proposals to change existing savings taxes.

Superannuation tax concessions were supposed to help Australians become less reliant on the age pension, but with the rapid increase in the concession they will soon to be more expensive than the age pension. This report argues that the cure has becoming worse than the disease.

The committee gathered evidence from 19 public hearings and 1777 submissions, finding that the proposed policy to remove refundable franking credits is inequitable and deeply flawed. It recommends that any policy that could reduce Australian retirees’ income by up to a third should only be considered as part of an equitable package for wholesale tax...

This paper discusses the tax and transfer treatment of private superannuation retirement saving and the public means tested age pension in Australia, and concludes that a more coherent retirement tax and transfer system can be achieved by reducing tax concessions and making the age pension means test less harsh.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen claims the top 10 per cent of income earners get more than 30 per cent of tax concessions in superannuation.