Yesterday
Chalmers urges Bessent to reconsider ‘revenge tax’ on super funds
The proposal would allow the Trump administration to raise taxes on countries deemed to levy discriminatory taxes against American firms.
States should lead Team Australia on economic reform
To once again make a serious contribution to important policy debates, state leaders must start to talk about how to make Australia a more dynamic and prosperous country.
Markets lock in rate cut after inflation tumbles in May
Inflation fell to its equal-lowest rate in almost four years last month as the rental market cooled and construction cost pressures moderated.
This Month
S&P warns of Qld’s ‘sharp deterioration’ amid $20b debt spiral
The Liberal National government has vowed to bring down state debt, but budget papers reveal it won’t deliver a surplus before the next election.
Credit to Trump for putting American and global security first
The Australian Financial Review has rarely had a positive word to say about Donald Trump, yet he has done the world a favour by taking out Tehran’s nuclear program.
Slash the red tape smothering growth
The Abundance agenda is being taken on to fix Australia’s housing shortage. It needs to extend to a vigorous supply-side deregulation agenda.
NSW’s path back to surplus is built on wishful thinking
History is littered with rosy budget projections that never came to pass, and there is little evidence that NSW will be the exception.
The book Jim Chalmers and all of Canberra is reading
Abundance is the book the treasurer keeps dropping into speeches. It calls for a “liberalism that builds” and it’s sold out in bookshops across Canberra.
GST top pick for Chalmers to fund income tax cuts
Economists say the federal government will need to consider raising or broadening the GST to meaningfully reduce the rising income tax burden.
Chalmers’ super tax will send productivity backwards
Taxing unrealised gains in superannuation will not deliver the Hawke-Keating style reform that is desperately needed.
NDIS savings in doubt as Qld doubles down on GST fight
The Queensland treasurer says he will only consider the federal government’s plan to share the NDIS load if the GST carve-up is also on the negotiating table.
Leadership, stupid, is the missing ingredient for economic reform
Our economic reform drought has not been for a lack of consensus. What leaders are lacking is sound political judgment, the will and the skill to get it done.
‘No one liked it’: Lessons for tax reform after 25 years of GST
The bitter brawl over the goods and services tax is worth remembering as Jim Chalmers opens the door to real reform for the first time in years.
World holds breath on Iran | $30b deal to test govt | CEO pay secrets
This week, the chooks try to make sense of the latest conflict in the Middle East, examine a takeover bid for Santos and look at CEO bonuses.
Chalmers’ productivity plan can’t stick without the states
The federal treasurer’s productivity roundtable is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, but a federated approach is the only way to make it work.
America attacking Iran could trigger Taiwan conflict
US involvement in wars in Europe and the Middle East could open the door for China to have a crack at Taiwan.
Chalmers says hard decisions have to be made. Funny about that
With Ken Henry back in the fold, Jim Chalmers has put tax at the centre of Labor’s post-election productivity push. It won’t be easy.
Here’s a tax agenda for Chalmers’ roundtable
History shows that well-structured tax reform packages with clear goals can succeed both economically and politically.
Jobless rate tipped to rise as government-funded hiring cools
Economists predict hiring across industries such as the public service and healthcare will soon slow and expose a weak private sector.
Rate cuts not enough. Productivity roundtable must unleash ideas boom
As the Reserve Bank cuts rates, we should also cut political resistance to affordable, well-targeted ideas. The productivity roundtable must not be wasted.
Chalmers’ productivity roundtable a chance for overdue tax reform
The test for the treasurer will be to lead the nation to a genuine tax reform that makes people more prosperous, not a simple tax grab to plug the budget deficit.
‘We’ve got a mandate’: Chalmers doubles down on $3m super tax
The treasurer said tax reform discussions were about the government looking for new ideas, not reversing course on its controversial super tax.
Chalmers’ big test: tax reform or more tax grabs?
The treasurer will embark on a long-overdue tax reform, but it remains to be seen whether Labor can implement the changes needed to improve living standards.
Tax reform ‘crucial’ to budget sustainability: Chalmers
In a National Press Club address the treasurer has flagged tax changes and said Labor’s election commitments were the “foundation not a destination”.
Chalmers opens door to tax changes for budget repair
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted the federal budget is unsustainable, flagging potential tax changes beyond superannuation.