The current deal costs Australians billions more than it should if we were fairly sharing money around the country. It’s not too late to have your say.
Articles on Goods and services tax
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The businessman and former competition chief says the fierce criticism of what he calls ‘mild’ budget changes shows why politicians have avoided reform for decades.
While simply scrapping the 2018 deal might not be feasible, moving to an altogether new system could be a way forward.
If state and federal governments replaced inefficient taxes with better designed ones, households would be at least $900 better off.
Revisiting the GST share of revenue among the states could make a big contribution towards repairing the federal budget.
28 of the 38 top economists surveyed by the Economic Survey of Australia want the GST top-up for one of Australia’s richest states scrapped.
While Australia must make some hard choices to pay for services in the future, increasing the goods and services tax is just too hard.
Grattan Institute estimates point to deficits without end, growing with the need for greater spending on health, defence and natural disasters. We’ve presented the treasurer with 13 costed options.
Asked to choose the fairest ways to raise billions, half of the economists backed introducing inheritance taxes. Around a third chose winding back super tax concessions and increased resource taxes.
The Australian government’s spending on its biggest tax concessions has jumped 24% in the past year.
Going GST-free for six months would cost the budget $35 billion. Very little of it would be wasted.
Top contributors
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Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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Senior lecturer, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra
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Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland
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Lecturer in Economics, Monash University
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Democracy Deputy Program Director, Grattan Institute
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Fellow, Grattan Institute
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Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Tasmania
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Deputy Director and Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University
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Professor, Centre of Policy Studies and the Impact Project, Victoria University
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Professor of Economics, University of Canberra
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Fellow, Monash University
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Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute
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Visiting Fellow, Economics (modelling), Australian National University