As Malcolm Turnbull continues to strike down the prospects of a GST increase being part of his tax package, the secretary of his department, Martin Parkinson, is taking charge of the tax issue bureaucratically…
Malcolm Turnbull said the May budget would be the government’s tax platform and, for ‘all practical purposes’, its white paper.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Malcolm Turnbull has said the budget will contain the government’s tax policy, and questioned whether the benefits of increasing the GST would be worth the difficulties of doing so.
As parliament returned this week, the government was rattled by a GST debate that had run wild, agitating backbenchers and causing the government to pause.
Treasurer Scott Morrison had a bad first week of the new parliamentary year, as the idea of a possible GST increase came in for a barrage of negativity.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
At the start of a frenetic year for independent Nick Xenophon, the South Australian senator says his new national political party, the Nick Xenophon Team, will fill a vacuum.
Malcolm Turnbull must wait for Nationals leader Warren Truss to decide his future before announcing a ministerial reshuffle.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Scott Morrison has become a true believer in the cause of raising the GST, determined to drive a major switch in the tax mix. The big question is whether Malcolm Turnbull will end up in the same place…
The Coalition under Malcolm Turnbull continues its lead over Labor in the latest Newspoll.
Mal Fairclough/AAP
Last year Joe Hockey was quite clear: he issued a discussion about the Australian tax system, and promised a green paper on options and a white paper on government policy.
Treasurer Scott Morrison said people were not interested in “reading a large tome on tax”.
Aaron Bunch/AAP
Is Labor’s Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh, right to warn that each household may effectively face the prospect of paying an extra $4,500 a year in GST?
Tax reform remains a political blame-game between the federal government and states.
AAP/Joel Carrett
Treasurer Scott Morrison has declared that differences between federal and state governments over tax reform may be “irreconcilable” because states want to use funds from a GST change to spend more.
Malcolm Turnbull may struggle to persuade Daniel Andrews and some other state leaders to back major tax change, though Mike Baird has been arguing for reform.
Sam Mooy/AAP
Despite all the media coverage, don’t expect any clear decisions on national tax reform on Friday. But we should see more progress on other issues, including domestic violence and violent extremism.