Bracket creep or tax by stealth should be illegal or recorded as legalized theft! And never ever applies to corporate tax. Governments of all persuasion rely on bracket creep, which they manage to spend today on usually unaffordable promises the next generation pay for! Tax reform ought to be root and branch simplification that eliminates bracket creep forever! And therefore obliges bold new vision and expanded population free growth to pad out inland revenue! And as simple as attacking and removing poverty in all its forms and guises. How? By investing in new energy paradigms, that reduce the cost of household energy to as little as 2 cents per KwH. Then couple that to space age desalination that makes desalinated water a cost-effective alternative for broad-scale irrigation projects. As for tax reform, this is what it should look like? The tax-free threshold reset at $37,000. and all tax on all income after that set at a flat 15%. With no available adjustments for this or that! This will mean an increase in real tax dollars for those earning the most, albeit receiving some relief by dint of a higher threshold. And given that is implemented renders all tax compliance and tax compliance costs, both null and void and entirely eliminated, thus returning an averaged 7% to the average bottom line. Which will mean an effective tax of just 8%! And given it is unavoidable for any reason, makes the biggest tax cheats and avoiders pay their fair if modest share a well as making a complete counterproductive nonsense out of offshoring profits to avoid our legitimate tax! Alan B.

Further comment. Any flat tax as outlined above, minus the usual paragraph breaks, [courtesy of Microsoft and their handmaiden, Grammarly,] has to be unavoidable! And applied via the banking system as cash/profit flows from any account. (PARAGRAPH) Which can even apply as cash is remitted internationally to pay for offshore purchases or as profits are routinely sent chasing their tail through several subsidiaries, in order to paint a false profit or loss picture and available, given the ATO/financiers, recognises each subsidiary as an entirely different entity. (PARAGRAPH) When, if their entire income were accessed as a single corporate conglomerate. This sharp tax avoidance practice would likely cost much more money than it saves! As well as painting a true picture of the corporate conglomerate's before-tax profit. position. (PARAGRAPH) Those who say this would be a tax on turnover, need to understand that's exactly what the GST already is. But unlike the GST, would only ever apply to actual earned income or proven profit as a PAYE or PAYG. Too difficult? Given our convoluted system is scrambled eggs? (PARAGRAPH) Well, if that's so? toss the whole rotten mess out and replace it with an unavoidable simplicity that can't be avoided and even raises much more revenue and with fairness first and foremost and the operative word! Alan B.

Put these three things together as a rolled out, policy paradigm. Lowest in the world effective tax rate and doable, but only if there is far less self-serving vested interest in the mostly unreformed system and more political vision and ticker. Plus the world's lowest cost energy and carbon-free into the bargain! Plus broad scale irrigation as cost-effective desalinated water, that can be piped direct or via any convenient waterway or aquifer? (PARAGRAPH) To have to hold back the rush by energy dependant manufacture and cashed up continuing flow of self-funded retirees alias, tempory new Australians. And a doubled or trebled real economy! (PARAGRAPH) There's no if or but here but rather intransigent recalcitrants coupled to the vested interest served by the current tax energy or water policies and our mixed message immigration policy! (PARAGRAPH) After that, the only remaining improvement in our combined fiscal position can only be improved by the widespread adoption of cooperative capitalism. (PARAGRAPH)Anyone who can, who hasn't already transferred their account from a bank to a Credit Union (cooperative capitalism) needs to have their head read! Alan B.

If one can presume a significant cut to the company tax rate it makes sense to have a flatter income tax scale that disincentivizes incorporation by the wealthy.

Do we need a company tax cut? Apparently not according to some, as companies and investors won't bat an eye-lid in their comparison between Australia and the rest of the world.

Taxing nannas' company earnings and capital gains on an unindexed cost bases, while removing negative gearing should all drive investment at great speed. Interesting to see Bowen on Q&A bat away Tony's question on whether Labor would aim to reduce house prices.

ALAN b, you're not quite right mate, as corporate taxes are paid on every dollar, unlike PAYG income earners, which are who bracket creep applies to. Having said that, it's more reason to call for a flat transaction style tax, but hey, I for one have given up pissing into the fan. Another no brainer is land tax. Why on earth is the threshold still set at $350K. A suburban block in most cities is worth that. Just adds to more pressure on renters. Go figure!

Corporate tax as paid in actual dollars was reportedly just 13%, 2017, with as many as 40% paying no tax to anyone. [See four corners several weeks ago.] So, fixing the rate to just 15% flat would arguably collect more tax, particularly from those who currently avoid a fair and equitable share! It's not the rate we set that counts as revenue, but the money actually paid! In any event with tax compliance costs removed by simplicity. the effective tax rate for corporations would be just 8%! GIVEN THE 7% CURRENTLY RIPPED FROM THE AVERAGE BOTTOM LINE BY CURRENT TAX COMPLIANCE COSTS, WOULD BE FULLY RETURNED. As for the average joe earning better than $37,000, he/she is not going to complain if the 19% they pay now, is reduced to 15% and minus the cost and inconvenience of the tax reconciliation. And if the world's lowest cost energy is part of the mix along with endless reliable water, our economic growth would rival China's And not only would the high tech companies queue to relocate and pay our tax, so also would the cashed-up, self funded retirees, particularly if self-terminating, tax free, thirty year bonds where made available for super funds and them! Alan B.