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
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
GST and the global economy: identifying the underlying causes of consumption tax conflicts affecting cross-border trade. This project will provide an independent analysis of the desirability of particular types of destination based jurisdictional rule in a GST/VAT in light of their effects on global trade and revenue collection. Focussing on basic principles, the project will assess the relationship between the ideal subject of the tax (consumption) and the practical effects of existing laws (wh ....GST and the global economy: identifying the underlying causes of consumption tax conflicts affecting cross-border trade. This project will provide an independent analysis of the desirability of particular types of destination based jurisdictional rule in a GST/VAT in light of their effects on global trade and revenue collection. Focussing on basic principles, the project will assess the relationship between the ideal subject of the tax (consumption) and the practical effects of existing laws (which tax their own peculiar concept of consumption). The inclusion of comparative research on developing and transition countries will enable Australia to assess the outcomes of the concurrent OECD and EC work in this area from a broader perspective and to evaluate the effects of its own laws on both global trade and the revenue of Australia and its trading partners.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
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.
The Role of a Central Bank’s Balance Sheet in Shaping the Economy. In response to the global financial crisis, the world’s major central banks cut their rates to near zero and implemented untested unconventional monetary policies, significantly expanding the size and composition of their balance sheets. More than a decade later, the Reserve Bank of Australia is considering similar balance sheet policies. This proposal aims to develop various frameworks that can be used to simulate and evaluate w ....The Role of a Central Bank’s Balance Sheet in Shaping the Economy. In response to the global financial crisis, the world’s major central banks cut their rates to near zero and implemented untested unconventional monetary policies, significantly expanding the size and composition of their balance sheets. More than a decade later, the Reserve Bank of Australia is considering similar balance sheet policies. This proposal aims to develop various frameworks that can be used to simulate and evaluate when and how to eventually undo unconventional monetary policies in order to prevent a prolonged recession. Thus this research proposal will contribute to the current Australian monetary policy debate while providing some insights on how best to implement such policies, improving the living standards of Australians.Read moreRead less
Public Finance and Cryptocurrencies. This project aims to analyse the impact of cryptocurrency technology on taxation and the provision of public goods in Australia. The project will identify the historical relationship between money technologies and public finance, examine the impact of cryptocurrencies in relation to the modern state, and investigate the potential of utilising cryptocurrencies in the provision of public goods. The outcomes of the research will expand theoretical and practical ....Public Finance and Cryptocurrencies. This project aims to analyse the impact of cryptocurrency technology on taxation and the provision of public goods in Australia. The project will identify the historical relationship between money technologies and public finance, examine the impact of cryptocurrencies in relation to the modern state, and investigate the potential of utilising cryptocurrencies in the provision of public goods. The outcomes of the research will expand theoretical and practical understanding of public finance in a world of cryptocurrencies. The project findings will provide guidance to Australian and international policymakers to prepare for potential disruptions to taxation and public goods provision. Read moreRead less
Lifetime Approach to Measuring Inequality in Living Standards in Australia . This project aims to develop a new methodology to study trends in inequality in Australia. It expects to advance the body of knowledge by measuring inequality in living standards over the whole lifetime and by identifying the role of the Australian fiscal system in redistributing lifetime resources across households and generations. This new approach would help clarify the potential bias embedded in commonly used inequa ....Lifetime Approach to Measuring Inequality in Living Standards in Australia . This project aims to develop a new methodology to study trends in inequality in Australia. It expects to advance the body of knowledge by measuring inequality in living standards over the whole lifetime and by identifying the role of the Australian fiscal system in redistributing lifetime resources across households and generations. This new approach would help clarify the potential bias embedded in commonly used inequality indicators based on current-year income. Its findings expect to provide new insights into how the gains from economic growth have been shared among Australians. It should also offer policy options for designing a better tax and transfer system that would sustain economic prosperity and fairness in Australia.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