A quarter of a century after implementing Australia’s last major tax overhaul, the GST, John Howard and Peter Costello argue that Labor must convince voters that tax reform is good for the country by offering lower income taxes, compensating losers and tightening runaway government spending.

Their comments to mark the goods and services tax’s 25th anniversary on July 1 come in the same week Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers pledged to lead an overhaul of the tax system to boost stagnating productivity and plug an unsustainable budget.