Freeing public policy from the fiscal straightjacket
In this discussion paper for the Centre for Policy Development, Fred Argy demolishes the myths underpinning the bipartisan consensus falsely described as ‘fiscal conservatism’.
Australia’s Fiscal Straightjacket | OCCASIONAL PAPER
In his new discussion paper for the Centre for Policy Development, Fred Argy demolishes eight myths underpinning what currently passes for “fiscal conservatism” in Australia. The view that neither taxes nor public debt levels...
Coalition tax cuts a chimera, finds CPD fellow
As reported in The Age and in New Matilda, analysis by CPD fellow Ian McAuley demonstrates that the tax cuts announced by the Coalition would probably have no greater effect than indexing current tax...
Opportunities and Challenges in Tax Reform
John Freebairn writes, ‘Credible arguments can be made to reform all Australian taxes. The easiest case is to consider reforms under the restriction that the aggregate revenue collected remains unchanged and that there are...
A Civilized Tax Debate
Ian McAuley writes, ‘Turnbull’s case would have been stronger if he had suggested closing off the mechanisms for people with high incomes to avoid tax – such as using trusts and private companies which...
The Value of Simplicity: Flat tax?
One of the universal burdens today is the increasing level of complexity in everyone's lives. From the poor to the rich, everything seems to be hard to understand, time consuming and bureaucratic. Business has...
Don’t mention the economy
‘Labor needs to integrate its policies in a clear vision and set of values – social values – rather than categorising its policies into ‘economic’, ‘social’ and ‘environmental’ headings with their implications of compromise,...