Category Archives: Tax

Tax mix switch to GST desirable and inevitable

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I’m very pleased the Turnbull Government is pushing to raise more money from the GST, as this would allow cuts to more inefficient taxes such as income tax and stamp duty, and would be good for productivity and economic growth. … Continue reading →

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Interview on Turnbull Cabinet on 612 ABC Brisbane

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday afternoon, Emma Griffiths from 612 ABC Brisbane interviewed me regarding PM Malcolm Turnbull’s Cabinet and what it means for the economy: The future of business under Turnbull I told Emma that it appears business is very optimistic about the … Continue reading →

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Upcoming ESA Qld event on family-based taxation featuring Senator Matt Canavan & Alex Robson

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Equity is important for the design of tax systems. Equity involves treating similar people the same (i.e. horizontal equity), but also adjusting taxes to allow for differences in the ability to pay taxes and in the benefits that people receive … Continue reading →

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Medicare levy hike would not address major problem of vertical fiscal imbalance

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The Daily Telegraph today reports some new modelling on the proposed Medicare levy hike undertaken by my old friend and former Queensland resident Ben Phillips, now Principal Research Fellow at NATSEM: Medicare: Levy hike would cost families $2000 a year … Continue reading →

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Could the Commonwealth Treasury please send me my $5,000, rather than sending it to George St?

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasury has produced an absolutely cracking set of post-Budget presentation slides, which it has kindly shared with the Economic Society of Australia (QLD), of which I’m the Secretary. The slide deck contains some excellent facts and charts on vertical … Continue reading →

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GST much more efficient way to raise revenue than income tax

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Flavio Menezes, Economics Professor at the University of Queensland, has an interesting piece at the Conversation fact checking a bold claim by federal MP Andrew Leigh that the GST is as economically inefficient as the income tax and less equitable … Continue reading →

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ACE 2015 tax policy panel discussion involving Treasury suggests little chance of major tax reform

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The official Treasury water bottle. A pleasant surprise in the ACE 2015 conference bag. Thanks to Graeme Davis from Treasury, Alex Robson from Griffith, Miranda Stewart from ANU and Paul Abbey from PwC for some informative and stimulating presentations at … Continue reading →

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Everybody’s talking about tax

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Gene Tunny

With the Commonwealth Government currently undertaking a major tax review, it is timely that there are two events on tax reform being held in Brisbane next month, both supported by the Economic Society of Australia (QLD), of which I’m the … Continue reading →

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Stamp duty has to go – time to consider greater reliance on land tax & GST

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Gene Tunny

It is lamentable that our State Governments are so reliant on a source of revenue, stamp duty, that is very costly to the economy and has no defenders outside of State Treasuries who would greatly miss the money if it … Continue reading →

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Upcoming Young Economists Coffee Connections to discuss negative gearing & capital gains tax treatment

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I await with interest the Hansard transcript of Treasury Secretary John Fraser’s testimony before Senate Estimates in Canberra yesterday, because in his reported comments he appears to be saying that any housing price bubble that may exist in Australia isn’t … Continue reading →

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