While it is impolite to say so these days, Canberrans don’t pay much tax. While this week’s Commonwealth budget as well as the ACT’s review of the territory’s tax system back up this conclusion, it is unlikely to have much impact on the calls for lower taxes to take the pressure off the cost of living. Indeed, this week also saw the release of a report that showed that prices in Australia have been rising much more slowly than incomes. But again, it is unlikely that these so-called ”facts” will have much impact on the way that political debate is conducted.
Related documents
Between the Lines Newsletter
The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.
You might also like
10 reasons why Australia does not need company tax cuts
1/ Giving business billions of dollars in tax cuts means starving schools, hospitals and other services. Giving business billions of dollars in tax cuts means billions of dollars less for services like schools and hospitals. If Australia cut company tax from 30% to 25% this would give business about $20 billion in its first year,
Tax reform isn’t hard – slug multinationals and subsidise the things we want more of
Taxes are the price we pay for civilisation, but they are also a tool we can use to change the shape of our economy, not just its size.
New Analysis: Mid-East war’s hit to Australian economy, how to reduce its impact
New analysis by The Australia Institute reveals the impact the war in the Middle East is likely to have on Australian households – and recommends policies to limit the hardship.

