Budget Policy
9 February 2019
Negative gearing changes will affect us all, mostly for the better
For Australians who aspire to a better budget bottom line, a more stable housing market and better opportunities for first home buyers, federal Labor’s proposed changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax have plenty to find favour.
19 December 2018
Taxing inheritances might be unpopular, but it’s fair
Estate taxes are worth serious consideration. With society-shaping wealth transfers expected to grow over the next two decades, the time to have the conversation is now.
17 December 2018
More mirage than good management, MYEFO fails to hit its own targets
The Morrison government wants next year’s election to be about economic management. So understandably, it’s using the improved bottom line in the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) to talk up its economic credentials. But the numbers in MYEFO show it has failed to hit many of its own targets.
22 November 2018
The implications of removing refundable franking credits
Federal Labor’s plan to remove refunds for excess franking credits is a fair way to help improve the budget and wind back the growing intergenerational transfers in Australia’s tax system. But there is a better way.
26 September 2018
Scott Morrison should look to Queensland to improve voter trust
It’s no secret that Australians are fed up with our politicians. There’s a creeping feeling – vented on talkback radio and evident in polls – that people in government aren’t acting for us, but for themselves and their mates. New Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on a mission to change this. He says he’s on our side.
14 August 2018
Time for the federal government to catch up on political donations reform
Australians should be able to see who donates to political parties, but our political donations laws fall far short of this ideal. Recent reforms in New South Wales and Victoria mean that voters will have much better information about who is donating. But when it comes to donations at the federal level, voters remain largely in the dark.
10 July 2018
Tax reform: where to focus?
This overview prioritises tax reforms by comparing how much different proposals would help the economy, repair budgets, reduce inequality, and promote housing affordability.
7 June 2018
Government’s creepy tax hike habit
Sometimes, just sometimes, budgets change the national economic debate. Since the controversial 2014 budget – widely perceived as being unfair – debate quickly jumps to the “fairness” of any new policy proposal. The enduring legacy of the 2018 budget is that ordinary taxpayers are a whole lot wiser about stealth tax rises through bracket creep.
6 June 2018
Debunking some of the myths in the great tax debate
The debate about the Turnbull Government’s proposed personal income tax cuts is dominated by myths. In his opening statement to a Senate committee inquiry into the tax plan, Grattan’s John Daley urged MPs not to play on the myths but instead to face facts and be honest with voters.
4 June 2018
Are the proposed personal income tax cuts affordable and fair?
The Turnbull Government’s planned personal income tax cuts are the largest ever proposed in a federal budget. As Grattan’s Danielle Wood, John Daley and Hugh Parsonage write in this submission, the substantial reduction in revenue is not obviously consistent with the Government’s medium-term fiscal strategy of budget surpluses on average over the economic cycle.