Australian budget

Hoocoodanode that doing nothing in government could lead to this?

By Leith van Onselen The Grattan Institute has released a new report entitled “Age of entitlement: age-based tax breaks”, which finds that the Commonwealth Government could save about $1 billion a year by winding back three tax breaks for older Australians that are unduly generous and have no sensible policy rationale.

By Leith van Onselen After Treasurer Scott Morrison’s pathetic attempt yesterday to use Donald Trump’s election victory to reignite the Coalition’s company tax cut plan, Labor Leader Bill Shorten has hit back, stepping-up his rhetoric against the cuts.

By Leith van Onselen The Australian Greens have hit out at the recent raising of the second highest tax threshold from $80,000 to $87,000, as well as cutbacks to some family tax benefits, claiming that it has left many poorer families worse-off and increased inequality.

By Leith van Onselen Treasurer Scott Morrison has used Donald Trump’s Presidential victory and yesterday’s weak wages growth to spruik for cutting Australia’s company tax rate.

Blackrock seems to think so: Australia could be stripped of its top credit score by S&P Global Ratings as early as next month if the government’s interim budget review shows further deterioration, according to BlackRock Inc.

By Leith van Onselen It is Groundhog Day at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The organisation has already been savaged by funding cuts and jobs losses under the prior two governments (both Labor and Liberal), thus hampering its ability to perform its functions.

Cripes, just get on with it already, via the AFR: S&P believes the path to a balanced budget will be elusive for quite some time.

By David Collyer, cross-posted from Prosper Australia: The Victorian Treasurer yesterday dismissed belly-aching by holders of valuable parcels whose private joy over the strong rises in land prices comes with a sting – their State Land Tax went up too.

Cross-posted from The Conversation: It wouldn’t be too unkind to suggest that Western Australia is not considered as the national benchmark of sophisticated public policy.

From the PBO: The national fiscal outlook has deteriorated since the Commonwealth, state and territory governments[1] delivered their 2015–16 mid-year fiscal updates.

By Leith van Onselen Robert Gottliebsen (“Gotti”) has penned yet another warped piece slamming upcoming changes that wind back eligibility to the Aged Pension to retirees with significant assets, but raises it for poorer pensioners.

By Leith van Onselen Treasurer Scott Morrison took his war against the unemployed to another level over the weekend, vowing to end the “welfare creep” that encour­ages thousands of Australians to avoid getting a job.

From the ABC: Mr Gylls has told the state conference it will also be the engine for jobs growth.

From the AFR: As the nation’s most important commodity export – iron ore – traded above US$63 a tonne,  official figures showed the terms of trade jumped around 4.5 per cent in the September quarter.

From the ABC: The Western Australian Government could lose $120 million in revenue if the major miners challenge a proposed $5-a-tonne fee on iron ore exports in court.

By Leith van Onselen Robert Gottliebsen (“Gotti”) has penned a warped piece today slamming upcoming changes that wind back eligibility to the Aged Pension to retirees with significant assets, but raises it for poorer pensioners.

By Leith van Onselen Over the weekend, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment released research showing that the equivalent of 20 years of housing supply is tied up in empty bedrooms, mostly pertaining to older empty nesters, and that this is making it increasingly difficult for young households to find “family-friendly” accommodation.

By Leith van Onselen Treasurer Scott Morrison has stepped-up the attack on the Nick Xenophon Team, which opposes cutting company taxes, taking the fight directly to Xenophon’s home state of South Australia.

By Leith van Onselen The Turnbull Government will today released its 2015 VET FEE-HELP statistical report, which will show the enormous abuse of taxpayer money from rorting private colleges.

By Leith van Onselen The Turnbull Government has flagged that it will tighten the eligibility criteria for the 760,000 people receiving unemployment benefits.