The COVID-19 pandemic has upended societies worldwide. It has exposed the consequences of economic stratification with the poor and marginalised disproportionately bearing the economic impact of the pandemic, the consequences of lockdown responses (such as the shut-down of Melbourne’s public housing towers) and the burden of disease. The pandemic has also exposed the impact of a continued neglect of public institutions and declining investment in public goods – be it with under-resourced and overwhelmed health systems or decimated local supply chains.

In Australia, the bipartisan political response has paired massive government spending with declining revenue which will ultimately require fundamental tax reform. With taxation a primary means of addressing wealth and income inequality in a political system that is tied to a market-based economy, the stakes are high.

At such a critical juncture, it is essential to open the discussion of tax reform to new voices and new perspectives that can challenge the status quo. The symposium invites papers from scholars from all disciplines (for example, law, politics, economics, sociology) to offer critical perspectives on taxation. Topics might include (but are not limited to): the role of taxation in addressing wealth and income inequality; taxation and gender inequality; the differential impact of tax policy on marginalised groups such as Indigenous people, migrant and refugee communities and LGBTIQ+ groups; and the role of taxation in addressing environmental issues.

The symposium will be hosted online from Melbourne and be held from 15-16 July 2021. Eligible participants will be invited to submit their written papers for possible inclusion in a special issue of the Australian Tax Review in 2022. Enquiries and abstracts of no more than a page should be submitted to [email protected]. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 7 March 2021.

More details can be found here: https://www.monash.edu/law/research/excellence/clars/news-events/critical-juncturescritical-perspectives-a-call-for-new-voices-in-tax-reform/_nocache.

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