BANKS AND BANKING – TAXATION – AUSTRALIA

Morrison slams Labor’s proposal for bank tax

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Original article by James Frost, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 26-Feb-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Labor’s plan to impose a new levy on banks raises the question of what sector it will target next, while Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson says it should not apply to smaller banks as it will affect their competitiveness. Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Gerard Brody has welcomed Labor’s plan to use some of the proceeds from the levy to finance additional financial counsellors but argues that it should be broadened to include sectors such as telcos and utilities. Labor’s tax is slated to raise $640m over four years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CONSUMER ACTION LAW CENTRE, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 100 INDEX, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Convert bank tax cuts into compo for victims: Hanson

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 2 : 23-Apr-18

Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has rejected a proposal by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson to shelve a proposed tax cut for banks and divert the revenue into a compensation fund for victims of misconduct in the financial services sector. Hanson says the fund should also be used to pay the costs of the banking royal commission and to bail out banks in the event of a financial crisis. Opposition leader Bill Shorten has also advocated a compensation fund for victims of misconduct in the banking sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

Weatherill’s tax grab to sting local bank

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Original article by Michael Owen
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Nov-17

BankSA CEO Nick Reade contends the Weatherill government’s proposed bank levy will have a much greater impact on it than the government has claimed. He says the South Australian government has suggested the levy might only push up its company tax rate by as little as 0.1 per cent, but Reade says it will increase it by around three per cent. Meanwhile, the Weatherill government remains determined that the tax should go ahead, with Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis saying on 6 November there was "no chance at all" that it would change its mind.

CORPORATES
BANK OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIMITED,SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE,SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Goode blasts ‘unfair’ tax on big five banks

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 20 : 17-Oct-17

Diversified United Investments (DUI) chairman Charles Goode says the Federal Government must reconsider its proposed levy on the four major banks and Macquarie Group. He has told the listed investment company’s shareholders that the banks already pay billions of dollars in income tax, and targeting only some companies in a specific sector is unfair and discriminatory. DUI holds $A240m worth of shares in the major banks, while Australian United Investments – which is also chaired by Goode – has a $A315m exposure to the big banks.

CORPORATES
DIVERSIFIED UNITED INVESTMENT LIMITED – ASX DUI, AUSTRALIAN UNITED INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AUI, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, IAN POTTER FOUNDATION, FLAGSTAFF PARTNERS PTY LTD, WALLARA ASSET MANAGEMENT, RIVER CAPITAL PTY LTD, SG HISCOCK AND COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AFI

Morgan blasts Morrison’s bank tax as a grab for revenue

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 8-Aug-17

Former Westpac CEO David Morgan has dismissed claims by Treasurer Scott Morrison that the Australian Government’s levy on the nation’s five largest banks. levy will merely offset the implicit government guarantee on bank deposits. However, Morgan supports a regulatory push to ensure that banks are "unquestionably strong", but he notes that higher capital ratios are just one of the measures that are aimed at achieving this. The Chi-X Australia chairman adds that the stock exchange operator will begin offering transferable custody receipts to local investors in late 2017.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, CHI-X AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, NASDAQ, JC FLOWERS AND COMPANY LLC, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, DIGITAL ASSET HOLDINGS, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

‘Dangerous’ bank levy may have domino effect: Bligh

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Original article by David Crowe, Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 27-Jul-17

Australian Bankers’ Association CEO Anna Bligh has expressed concern that more state governments could implement their own version of the federal levy on banks. The levy is intended to boost government revenue by $A6.2bn, but Bligh has told the National Press Club that this impost could double if all states introduced their own levy. Bligh also supports Peter Costello’s call for banking industry executives to justify their high salaries, while she has questioned whether a royal commission into banks – as advocated by Labor – is appropriate and necessary.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Tax good for competition: Morrison

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 14-Jul-17

Treasurer Scott Morrison had claimed that limiting the Federal Government’s bank levy to the five major banks would boost competition in the banking sector. However, smaller banks have been increasing their interest rates on higher-risk products such as interest-only loans. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says Morrison’s claim that the levy would enhance competition is "complete rubbish".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, STANDARD AND POOR’S FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, MORTGAGE CHOICE LIMITED – ASX MOC

Views diverge on Macquarie Group earnings

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 26-Jun-17

Karl Siegling of Cadence Asset Management does not think the federal and South Australian bank levies will have too great an impact on Macquarie Group’s earnings. On the issue of taxes, Morgan Stanley predicts that Macquarie will benefit from President Donald Trump’s plans to reduce US corporate taxes, while Bloomberg notes that analysts expect Macquarie to record a 2018 profit of $A2.3 billion.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, CADENCE ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, QUADRANT ENERGY PTY LTD, BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED, BLOOMBERG AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AMB HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NUIX PTY LTD, ENDEAVOUR ENERGY LIMITED

Canberra has legal doubts on SA bank tax

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 26-Jun-17

The South Australian Government’s levy on the big four banks and Macquarie Group is expected to raise around $A100 million per annum. The tax is additional to the levy that was recently announced by the federal government. Federal minister Christopher Pyne has attacked the SA levy on the grounds that the state government offers no form of guarantee to the banks, thus admitting that the federal levy is in return for it providing a guarantee to them.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN

Stocks fall on banks’ failure to alter levy

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 23 : 21-Jun-17

Shares in Australia’s four major banks and Macquarie Group were sold down on 21 June, in response to the passage of the Federal Government’s bank levy through Parliament and credit ratings downgrades by Moody’s. The Senate economics legislation committee made a number of recommendations concerning the levy, based on the suggestions of the five banks that will pay it, but they were rejected by the Government. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank does not expect banks’ funding costs to be affected by the ratings downgrades.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. SENATE ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITEE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION