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Category: Economic regulation
Lessons for governments from taxis vs Uber
In an article in today’s Australian (available here,), I argue that governments can learn valuable lessons from the current battle between the taxi industry and Uber, as well as from past battles over government protection of market power (such as the tariff wall and AWB’s export wheat single desk). I draw 5 key lessons – […]
GST to 15%?
There is considerable media speculation that the Federal government is considering raising the GST rate to 15% and possibly broadening its base in return for personal tax cuts for low- and middle-income earners. An example of this speculation can be found here. It is claimed that this scenario is one of the options under consideration […]
Improving regulation of natural monopolies
In my recent article in the ACCC’s Network magazine (“What would an efficient regulatory contract look like?”, available here), I argue that Australia’s current regulatory system for natural monopolies (such as electricity, gas and water networks) is in need of fundamental reform, because it does not serve the long-term interests of consumers very well at […]
Should South Australians Really be “Down in the Mouth”?
The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies recently published the first of four papers in its Economic Issues series. The series reviews South Australia’s historical macroeconomic performance and attempts to highlight sustainable comparative advantages. The first paper sets the scene with a review of the state’s macroeconomic performance over the last two decades; it is available […]