Taxation
Taxation is an important part of economic policy – not only in raising revenue for governments to spend, but also in influencing private saving, investment and spending decisions, and for affecting the distribution of income and wealth. Decisions as to what is (or isn’t taxed), and at what rate, are always controversial, and sometimes have unintended consequences.
Bad Housing Policy (yet again?)
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation | 14th April 2025Saul Eslake with Laura Tingle discuss this election’s housing affordability agenda:
For the last three years, Australia’s federal opposition has challenged Labor’s management of the economy and budget. But with the latest Newspoll numbers showing trouble for the coalition, the election campaign has taken a dramatic turn. Housing policies from both sides—Labor and the Coalition—are set to shape the future of Australian homeownership. Are these policies truly solving the crisis, or just inflating house prices?
There must be an election on – both major parties are proposing policies which will push up house prices
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Publications, Taxation | 13th April 2025Saul Eslake’s reaction to both major parties’ proposed housing policies on 13th April 2025
Negative Gearing
Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation | 26th September 2024Saul talks to ABC News Channel’s “Afternoon Briefing” presenter Greg Jennett about reports that the Albanese Government may be thinking about changes to negative gearing and/or the capital gains tax discount, and what such changes might mean for housing affordability.
Will Anthony Albanese succeed where Bill Shorten failed in making changes to the taxation treatment of property investment?
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Taxation | 26th September 2024Article published by Pearls and Irritations on 26th September 2024, revisiting the arguments for winding backk ‘negative gearing’ and the capital gains tax discount, in the light of press reports suggesting that the Albanese Governmnt has asked Treasury to consider options for reform.
ATO’s Latest Taxation Statistics – June 2024
News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation | 20th June 2024Saul Eslake spoke with ABC Radio Hobart’s ‘Breakfast’ presenter Ryk Goddard about some of the findings from the ATO’s latest “Taxation Statistics” publication, including the number of taxpayers with incomes of more than $1 million, the number with incomes of less than $45,000, and the number who are negatively-geared property investors.
Productivity, Tax Reform and ‘Peak China’
Asian Economies, Economic Policies, Productivity, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 13th March 2024Talk to a gathering of parliamentarians, business leaders and others from the UK and Australia, in Melbourne, on Wednesday 13th March 2024 PRODUCTIVITY, TAX REFORM & ‘PEAK CHINA’ TALK TO COOK SOCIETY, 13th MARCH 2024 by Saul Eslake Principal, Corinna Economic Advisory Download PDF version Productivity Productivity – what we get by way of […]
Danielle Wood must help undo GST deal
News, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 30th November 2023The Australian Financial Review has published an op-ed from me on the changes to the arrangements for distributing the revenue from the GST among the states and territories imposed by the Morrison Government in 2018 (with the support of the then Labor Opposition) – something which I regard as one of the worst public policy […]
Danielle Wood, the Productivity Commission and the horizontal fiscal equalization (HFE)
Economic Policies, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 13th November 2023The changes to the way in which revenues from the GST are carved up among the states and territories imposed by the Morrison Government in 2019 (with the support of the then Labor Opposition) represent, IMHO, one of the worst pieces of public policy-making in Australia in at least 25 years. Among many other flaws, […]