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Category: Taxation
Professor Paul Kerin: “Global carbon credits will cut costs and prices”
Recent claims by Tony Abbott and others that allowing firms to purchase international carbon credits (CCs) to meet emissions quotas was like a tax that would raise costs and prices defy the most basic laws of
economics. They’re simply untrue.
Indeed, allowing such purchases can only reduce costs and prices. Furthermore, those advocating a continued ban on international CC […]
Changing the definition of Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation – by Robert Schwarz
The Commonwealth Treasurer and the Productivity Commission (PC) seem intent on providing a greater share of goods and services tax (GST) grants to Western Australia (WA).
But do you have to change the definition of horizontal fiscal equalization (HFE) to deliver a fiscal advantage to WA, being the outlier fiscally strongest State, at the expense of […]
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Horizontal fiscal equalisation and disincentive effects – by Jim Hancock
A number of submissions to the Productivity Commission’s Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation (HFE) Inquiry have argued that GST grants should be distributed between the States equal per capita. But conventional policy goals such as promoting efficiency, equity and productivity at the national level provide no support for this prescription.
NSW and WA have argued to the Inquiry […]
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Unequal fiscal burdens and interstate migration – by Robert Schwarz
Is it fair to have to move interstate because of the taxpayer burden of public health costs of the elderly in one’s state of residence?
Under the system of horizontal fiscal equalization (HFE), state governments are given equal capacity to provide public hospital services even if there are different numbers of elderly in one state rather […]
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States’ submissions to Productivity Commission Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation Inquiry
There are some interesting submissions at the PC’s Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation (HFE) Inquiry website.
Victoria, Queensland, SA, Tasmania, ACT and NT are all in favour of HFE albeit with some suggestions for improvement. None of these States buy the line that HFE is undermining reform, growth or productivity. NSW and WA are opposed to HFE and […]
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Federal Relations Tax Reform Workshop
On August 28-29 the School of Economics at the University of Adelaide is hosting a workshop on “Federal Relations and Tax Reform” at the National Wine Centre. The workshop will focus on the operation of fiscal equalization systems and broader questions of taxation within federal systems, and taxation reform of especially interest to States and […]
Apple tax decision European Commission implied powers – Hein Roelfsema
Although last week’s taxation decision by the European Commission (EC) was widely anticipated, the €13bn size of the Apple ruling last week caused a shockwave within the European Union (EU) as well as between the EU and the US. As a university professor at the start of the academic year, the Apple case provides for […]
Boost infrastructure investment through key reforms – Darryl Gobbett
In a recent speech to the 2016 South Australian Infrastructure Conference in Adelaide, Darryl Gobbett made several recommendations to help improve South Australia’s economic performance, including:
Boost infrastructure investment that focuses on cost-reduction, output, exports and regional SA;
Establish a SA Productivity Commission to determine investment and other priorities; and
Fund investment priorities though a broad-based land tax, asset […]
Parkinson on tax reform
In a speech yesterday at the McKell Institute, Martin Parkinson – the incoming head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (and former head of Treasury, as well as a distinguished graduate of the University of Adelaide’s School of Economics) – noted the importance of tax reform and, in particular, the need for careful […]
Tax Reform Article in The Australian
Paul Kerin and Christopher Findlay published an article in The Australian yesterday which expands on Paul’s recent blog on tax reform.
Read the article here.
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