Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson has said that plans for tax reform must highlight medium-term economic payoffs, avoiding the “zero-sum” focus of recent debates, if they are to be successfully sold…
With eight months left on his contract, Treasury Secretary Martin Parkinson decided to jump into the GST debate on Wednesday night. In a speech to the Sydney Institute, Parkinson declared the federal budget…
In an unusual move, Mission Australia and the Business Council of Australia recently co-authored a piece calling for a mature and open conversation about tax reform. They join a chorus of voices, from…
The economic debate during the election period has centred on the costings of the proposed policies of the major parties. Unfortunately what little “debate” we’ve seen has become a bit like a black hole…
Presumably, you have now read all about what on earth the G20 is, and you care deeply. But what does it actually do? The aim of the G20 is clear. The 2009 G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced…
Regardless of the result of the next election, the ALP will hold an inquiry into what went wrong. How on earth, they will ask, could a government presiding over low unemployment, low inflation, low levels…
There can be no dispute with last week’s call from the Business Council of Australia for meaningful tax reform. This is a larger issue than both the looming budget and September’s election. However, it…
An iron law of economics is that people respond to incentives. If the petrol price goes up, it should be of little surprise that consumers alter their choices at both the petrol pump and the car dealership…
Reform of Australia’s taxation system has to be high on the agenda to raise national productivity, for greater simplicity, and to improve equity. However, because of the magnitude of the challenges to…
Different year, same crisis. Around this time last year, the United States was looking down the barrel of economic disaster with the debt ceiling. As we approach 2013, it peers over the fiscal cliff. That…
In his 2012 State of the Union address US President Barack Obama lamented the fact that billionaire Warren Buffett faces a lower tax rate on his income than his secretary. The situation arises because…