Taxes and Transfers



When former Prime Minister John Howard introduced A New Tax System, around the introduction of a flagship goods and services tax (GST) in 2000, he… Read More ›

More Choice for Women? The Howard Government’s Tax and Transfer Reforms

From the 1990-91 recession to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Australia enjoyed one of the longest periods of uninterrupted economic growth in… Read More ›

Budget Forum 2025: Winners and Losers in Australia’s Uninterrupted Growth Era and Policy Implications

Progressive taxes and government transfers are often seen as essential policy tools that automatically help protect households from unexpected financial hardship. When a household experiences… Read More ›

The Insurance Role of Progressive Taxes and Transfers: Are They as Effective as We Think?

This year’s federal budget did something most commentators didn’t expect. A Labor government chose to address cost of living pressures through a universal payment –… Read More ›

Budget Forum 2024: Universalism by Design? Unpacking the Politics of Inflation

We ought to think of the tango when we think of social welfare. In a well-crafted social welfare system, taxes and public transfers tango with… Read More ›

Budget Forum 2024: Tango With Tax – Means Testing the Energy Bill Rebate

There is a common argument that scarce resources should primarily be directed towards those in need. Providing transfers to the affluent may be perceived as… Read More ›

Should Child Benefits Be Universal or Means-Tested?

In addition to the small surplus forecast for the 2022-23 financial year, the coverage of the federal budget was dominated by the large expenditure items… Read More ›

Budget Forum 2023: A Small Investment in the Budget With a Big Policy Return?

Government budgets can be framed in purely financial terms. How much tax and other revenue is coming in, how much expenditure is going out, and… Read More ›

Budget Forum 2023: The Priorities of Australians Ahead of Budget 2023-24

1 2 3 4
top