As our population continues to grow rapidly, the government is faced with choices is doesn’t like to make. According to the latest census, Canberra’s population has grown by 9.9 per cent (compared to 7.9 per cent nationally) in the past five years – a growth, which among other things, places incredible pressure on the ACT budget. While private companies are elated when the number of customers grows, our obsession with budget surpluses means that an influx of new taxpayers is typically seen as a big problem. Indeed, a big problem to be solved by reducing the quality of services provided to existing residents.
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
Whether Australia’s budget has a surplus tells us little about the government’s worth – it’s all on the choices made
We are now a month away from the 2024-25 budget. And as with all budgets, the choices made matter much more than any big numbers that get the media attention.
Taxes on tampons, tax breaks for luxury utes: gender in the budget
Last week, the federal government announced plans to define menstrual products as “lifestyle-related” and exclude them from NDIS funding.
Australia is a low-tax country | Fact sheet
Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. While it is sometimes suggested that Australian governments spend too much, the reality is that Australia raises very little tax revenue compared to similar countries. Insofar as Australian governments have a problem balancing revenue and spending, that problem lies in the level of revenue