Defining, regulating and taxing the not-for-profit sector in Australia: Law and policy for the 21st century. The not-for-profit sector is crucial to the economy and social inclusion in Australia. The sector's role and significance is growing but it struggles with complex and disparate taxation requirements and piecemeal supervision by state and federal governments. This project addresses both the needs of the sector and public expectations of it by comprehensively researching legal definition, r ....Defining, regulating and taxing the not-for-profit sector in Australia: Law and policy for the 21st century. The not-for-profit sector is crucial to the economy and social inclusion in Australia. The sector's role and significance is growing but it struggles with complex and disparate taxation requirements and piecemeal supervision by state and federal governments. This project addresses both the needs of the sector and public expectations of it by comprehensively researching legal definition, regulation and tax rules and recommending appropriate reform, thereby making a significant contribution to National Priority Research area, Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and Well Being, Priority Goal 4, 'understanding and strengthening key elements of Australia's social and economic fabric'.Read moreRead less
Restoring State income taxation in Australia. This project aims to investigate the many design and implementation issues that would need addressing if State income taxation was restored in Australia. This issue has been debated for many decades since the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for income tax collection in 1942 as a wartime measure. The project’s highly innovative approach will involve interdisciplinary and comparative research, involving Australia, Canada, and the United States ....Restoring State income taxation in Australia. This project aims to investigate the many design and implementation issues that would need addressing if State income taxation was restored in Australia. This issue has been debated for many decades since the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for income tax collection in 1942 as a wartime measure. The project’s highly innovative approach will involve interdisciplinary and comparative research, involving Australia, Canada, and the United States and as well as an analysis of tax sharing arrangements in Germany. This project will contribute to understanding the policy issues associated with States access to revenue sources and provision of key social services.Read moreRead less
Superannuation as Inheritance: Law, Practice and Reform. Given that Australian retirees are leaving behind billions of superannuation assets for inheritance, this project aims to obtain accurate real world findings about how superfunds distribute superannuation inheritances in practice. Current law has not kept pace with reality, largely leaving superfund trustees to decide how to bequest their deceased members’ excess superannuation. Australian families are at the mercy of superfunds. The expec ....Superannuation as Inheritance: Law, Practice and Reform. Given that Australian retirees are leaving behind billions of superannuation assets for inheritance, this project aims to obtain accurate real world findings about how superfunds distribute superannuation inheritances in practice. Current law has not kept pace with reality, largely leaving superfund trustees to decide how to bequest their deceased members’ excess superannuation. Australian families are at the mercy of superfunds. The expected outcomes of this project include evidence-based proposals to reform industry practice and the law. These reforms will promote respect for Australians’ testamentary wishes, safeguard against abuse, and advance societal interests in philanthropy, wealth equality and fiscal responsibility.Read moreRead less
Sharing the Wealth: Tax and Justice in The Slow Growth Era. This project aims to address fundamental problems of injustice in taxation emerging in the transition to a slow growth economy in Australia and globally. The project applies interdisciplinary approaches to generate new knowledge that aims to update frameworks for justice in taxation, refreshing out-dated 20th century ethical and legal approaches. Collaborative legal and philosophy analysis by leading scholars in Australia and the United ....Sharing the Wealth: Tax and Justice in The Slow Growth Era. This project aims to address fundamental problems of injustice in taxation emerging in the transition to a slow growth economy in Australia and globally. The project applies interdisciplinary approaches to generate new knowledge that aims to update frameworks for justice in taxation, refreshing out-dated 20th century ethical and legal approaches. Collaborative legal and philosophy analysis by leading scholars in Australia and the United States will respond to contemporary conditions of slow growth, wage stagnation, wealth inequality, population aging and longevity. Project outcomes will include tax reform proposals to benefit policy makers and enrich public debate on tax justice for 21st century economic and fiscal conditions.Read moreRead less
Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributi ....Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributions specifically and fiscal federalism more generally, the project aims to develop a reform blueprint for a sustainable and equitable fiscal federalism regime in Australia that best aligns with Australia’s current and long-term fiscal needs.Read moreRead less
Safeguarding the domestic tax base in a world without investment borders. Reform of Australia's tax rules applying to business investments abroad will ensure the continued protection of the domestic tax base while removing disincentives that discourage Australian enterprises from investing overseas and foreign enterprises from using Australia as a site for regional investment. Enabling more Australian firms to invest abroad and attracting foreign capital inflows by investors seeking to use Austr ....Safeguarding the domestic tax base in a world without investment borders. Reform of Australia's tax rules applying to business investments abroad will ensure the continued protection of the domestic tax base while removing disincentives that discourage Australian enterprises from investing overseas and foreign enterprises from using Australia as a site for regional investment. Enabling more Australian firms to invest abroad and attracting foreign capital inflows by investors seeking to use Australia as a politically stable platform for foreign investment will contribute to the restoration of a balance of payments equilibrium and strengthen the Australian economy vis-à-vis those of Australia's key regional trading partners.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness of tax base erosion and profit shifting countermeasures effective. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to combat tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. Estimates suggest that tax base erosion and profit shifting threaten up to 10 per cent of Australia’s corporate tax revenues. This project intends to establish benchmark indicators based on financial and tax data for Australian and foreign-owned companies, and test them on proposed policy changes up to 2 ....Effectiveness of tax base erosion and profit shifting countermeasures effective. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to combat tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. Estimates suggest that tax base erosion and profit shifting threaten up to 10 per cent of Australia’s corporate tax revenues. This project intends to establish benchmark indicators based on financial and tax data for Australian and foreign-owned companies, and test them on proposed policy changes up to 2018. The project aims to expand knowledge of tax behaviour of multinational firms while providing timely and critical information for policy makers on whether measures actually improve the integrity of corporate tax.Read moreRead less
Rebuilding fiscal federalism in Australia: reforming the financial relationship between the Commonwealth and the States. The finances of the Australian States in the modern day face serious structural challenges. The aim of this project is to analyse and develop appropriate alternatives for reform of fiscal federalism in Australia, which would allow the States to gain access to income tax revenue as a secure source of funding in the future.