BUDGET – AUSTRALIA

Business pushes its case for restraint

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 3-May-18

A report released by the Business Council of Australia ahead of the Federal Government’s May 2018 Budget warns that achieving a surplus in 2020-21 is highly dependent on commodity prices remaining strong. The BCA also says Australia faces the prospect of large Budget deficits in the future unless action is taken to boost productivity. The employers’ group notes that growth in productivity has averaged just 1.2 per cent over the last decade.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Call for infrastructure boost, without tricks

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-May-18

Infrastructure Partnerships Australia CEO Adrian Dwyer has urged the Federal Government to increase its spending on infrastructure in the May 2018 Budget. He argues that infrastructure spending should be increased by $A7.5bn over four years to offset a decline in such expenditure over the last decade. Dwyer has also questioned the policy of funding infrastructure projects via financing vehicles such as the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility rather than the Budget. The Coalition and Labor both recently announced funding for major infrastructure projects.

CORPORATES
INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS AUSTRALIA, NORTHERN AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Morrison to pledge a surplus of tax cuts

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Original article by David Uren, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-May-18

Treasurer Scott Morrison says the Federal Government will ensure that tax revenue is capped at no more than 23.9 per cent of GDP, and it will cut personal income taxes when necessary to avoid breaching this threshold. However, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says this suggests that the Coalition has backtracked on its stated policy of achieving a Budget surplus that is equivalent to one per cent of GDP. Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott argues that personal income tax cuts should not be on the government’s agenda unless it also pursues measures that will increase productivity, such as reducing the corporate tax rate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD

We’re sticking to full tax cut plan: Morrison

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-Apr-18

Treasurer Scott Morrison has ruled out seeking a deal with crossbench senator Derryn Hinch to secure passage of its corporate tax package. Hinch has indicated that he may be open to supporting tax cuts for companies with turnover of up to $A500m, but Morrison has stressed that the Federal Government will persist with its policy of progressively reducing the tax rate for all companies. Meanwhile, Morrison says the May 2018 Budget will be "responsible", and he has rejected suggestions by National Party leader Michael McCormack that it will include some "goodies" for taxpayers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Budget blitz: PM signs off on key measures early

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Original article by Simon Benson, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Apr-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull still believes that he can win the next federal election, despite consistently underperforming in public opinion polls. He argues that polling is not always reliable, and notes that most polls suggest that the outcome of the next election will be very close. Meanwhile, senior government sources have indicated that Turnbull has endorsed the majority of policy initiatives in the May 2018 Budget, including personal income tax cuts. There had been dissent between Turnbull and his Cabinet colleagues regarding measures in the 2017 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWSPOLL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Plans to cut company tax responsible – Morrison

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Feb-18

Treasurer Scott Morrison has downplayed concerns expressed by Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe about the potential impact of the Federal Government’s proposed company tax cuts. Morrison has stressed that Budget projections have already taken into account the long-term effect of the tax cuts, adding that the Government will not implement any policies that could threaten its timetable for returning the Budget to surplus. The Government also wants to include personal income tax cuts in the May 2018 Budget, again without risking the target date for a surplus.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, BIRINYI ASSOCIATES, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX

Budget gets Trump bump

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Original article by Jacob Greber, Tom McIlroy, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Jan-18

The Australian Government’s May 2018 Budget may take into account the impact of the Trump administration’s tax reforms when restating its forecasts for global economic growth. The mid-year update in December maintained Treasury’s current forecast of global economic growth of 3.5 per cent in 2018. However, Treasury may respond to the International Monetary Fund’s upgrade of its global growth forecasts by upwardly revising its own guidance.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY. UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD

Budget to slice $23bn off debt pile

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Dec-17

Australia’s gross debt is now expected to be about $A583bn in 2020-21, which is $A23bn lower than forecast in the Federal Government’s May 2017 Budget. Treasurer Scott Morrison says the revised debt forecast, which will be outlined in the mid-year Budget update on 18 December, will reduce the government’s annual interest bill by $A1bn. He adds that the government will now no longer be reliant on debt to finance recurrent expenditure, and borrowings will only be used for capital expenditure.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Stronger economy to cut size of deficit

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Original article by David Uren, Joe Kelly, John Ross
The Australian – Page: 2 : 15-Dec-17

The Federal Government’s May 2017 Budget had forecast a total deficit of $A46bn over four years. However, Westpac economists Bill Evans and Andrew Hanlan expect the mid-year budget update to revise this down to $A40bn. Westpac also forecasts a deficit of $A1.5bn in 2019-20, followed by a modest surplus in 2020-21. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has signalled that higher education funding will not be reduced in the budget update, although he has flagged new savings measures after the government’s proposed university funding cuts were rejected by the Senate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Income tax rises to save budget

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 20-Oct-17

The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates that personal income tax will account for 12.5 per cent of Australia’s GDP by 2020-21. This compares with 11.3 per cent of GDP at present and a record low of 9.3 per cent in 2009-10. The Federal Government’s May 2017 Budget had forecast that revenue from personal income tax will top $A253bn in 2021, which is 30 per cent higher than in 2016-17. Factors such as "bracket creep" and an increase in the Medicare levy to finance the National Disability Insurance Scheme are expected to offset low growth in wages.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY