Ttbn, assistant ministers? Well, incompetents need competent assistants to get it right.

Trouble is, the assistant's advice often disregarded, and they wear the blame when it all goes pear shaped.

Conversely, when the results are good, the minister is out there accepting all the praise and kudos.

This explanation is the best I can come up with, and there seems to be no other.
Alan B.

Here's the thing, those corporations that actually pay tax, never pay more than 13.5% after all offsets. On top of that they pay on average 7% in tax compliance costs. So, tax and tax related expenditure comes in at a tad over 20%.

My reform would make that total, be reduced by 5%, as an unavoidable 15% flat tax everyone pays. Not from total income, just the bona fide profits. No profit/income, no tax.

New startup companies could be given a tax holiday for the first five years.

Tax compliance costs would no longer be necessary so the averaged 7% could go back to the bottom line.

This in effect, would mean, that tax and associated costs would now come in at 8%.

This would likely mean, tax avoidance schemes, would likely cost the bottom line more than paying the tax?

Which to make unavoidable, it could be collected as a transition tax via the banking system.

Finally, I'd lift the tax-free threshold to a new generous level. So, those whose income puts them below the poverty line/average wages, would pay no tax!

But they would still the GST and the fuel excise plus the bushfire levy which could be added to the fuel excise.

Let's stop making those who cannot afford our tax, pay to support those tax avoiders, who can afford to pay our tax.

Stop putting it in the too hard basket. It's just not that difficult, except when as legislators, you are part of the problem/ministerial roadblock.

Don't just do something, stand there.
Alan B.

Just over 22 years ago, the republican party cut taxes to stimulate the economy. All that happened was a marked increase in child poverty and a wages stagnation. The minimum wage stayed the same for 30 years. They had 22 years to prove their mad hatters' economic theories.

Large corporations with top heavy administration needed to avoid tax to stay solvent/or keep the profit curve heading skyward. They internationalised their operations and put the HQs on this or that tax haven.

The result? Trillions ripped out of the tax system, so much so, governments of all political persuasion, needed to borrow just to fund recurrent spending and the ginormous farm bill.

If the latter was cancelled, American farmers would be forced to become more efficient, and billions could be returned to government coffers.

This is the sort of spending cuts America needs to solve her debt problem. The rest is as simple as ending tax avoidance. Aussie farmers get no such subsidies. although from time to time, essential drought relief.

The EU also subsidies farm production to the point of insanity.

If this insanity were to end, we and other efficient producers could feed the world and FTAs would be so much easier to implement!
Alan B.