Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2025, 1:30 – 2:30pm

Location: Seminar room 1, WEH Stanner, ANU; MBA Suite, SBPP, UPNG; or Zoom

Speakers: Anna Kapil and Stephen Howes

This seminar analyses Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) income tax trends and reforms since independence, proposing a reduction in the minimum non-zero income tax rate based on historical and international analysis.

Income tax is a hot topic in PNG and should be because it is too important. One study shows that, out of 59 poor countries, PNG has the fourth-highest ratio of direct taxes to GDP and the highest ratio of direct to indirect taxes. How has the income tax schedule changed in PNG? And how can it be improved?

A new Devpol Discussion Paper written by the two authors documents all the many changes to PNG’s income tax schedule since independence. It summarises and analyses the major trends and reforms. On the basis of this historical analysis accompanied by international comparisons, the paper puts forward recommendations for reform, in particular, a reduction in the minimum non-zero income tax rate.

The monthly ANU-UPNG seminar series is part of the partnership between the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and the UPNG, supported by the PNG-Aus Partnership.

For more information and registration, please visit here.

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