Targeted tax strike on digital economy

Original article by David Crowe, David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Jan-17

The Australian Government plans to overhaul the tax system in response to the transition from a cash-based economy to digital payments. Treasurer Scott Morrison has stressed the need to ensure that the nation’s tax base is modern as well as comprehensive and reflects the shift to a digital economy. The Government also intends to crack down on the so-called "black economy", while 2017 will also see the broadening of the GST to include online purchases and new measures to counter profit-shifting by multinationals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. CENTRELINK, CSIRO

Dodgy ABN’s ‘key to crackdown’

Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 15-Dec-16

The Australian Government’s taskforce on the cash economy will release an interim report in March 2017. The taskforce will be led by Michael Andrew, who says the large number of Australian Business Numbers that have been issued but have never incurred a tax liability is a major concern. He has also flagged the potential to impose harsher penalties as part of the crackdown on the cash economy, and adds that the $A100 note would not be missed by most consumers if it were withdrawn from circulation.

CORPORATES
KPMG, SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Crackdown on cash economy targets billions

Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 14-Dec-16

The Federal Government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook will include the creation of a taskforce aimed at combating the cash economy. It will be headed by former KPMG executive Michael Andrew, and one of its priorities will be to investigate the large number of $A100 notes that are in circulation, despite the growing trend toward electronic payments. The taskforce’s final report will be delivered in October 2017. It is estimated that the cash economy accounts for about 1.5 per cent of Australia’s GDP, which equates to $A21bn.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, KPMG, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. BOARD OF TAXATION, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

The alternative to a Bank Commission – tackle Australia’s massive ‘cash economy’

Original article by Gary Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Apr-16

The cost and distraction of a Bank Royal Commission would be expensive and unnecessary. Banks have high customer satisfaction ratings. Today Australia needs the banks and other financial institutions to be more involved in helping businesses and their customers in difficult financial times. Much more important to the electorate is Australia’s massive real unemployment and under-employment – in March 11 per cent unemployed and 7.8 per cent under-employed . The situation will not improve with recent industry lay-offs. Many of Australia’s business failures have been caused by falling commodity prices and unrealistic work practices upheld by outdated industrial relations laws. With the lack of sufficient work many Australians see no alternative but to be part of the massive cash economy. Both sides of politics need to present to the electorate policies which tackle this problem – only then will State and Federal Governments have any hope of cutting the massive government deficit and collecting sufficient additional revenue needed for education, hospitals, roads, transport, etc.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, ARRIUM LIMITED – ASX ARI, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX DSH, QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD

Gary Morgan – Tax reform and broadening the GST base will help tackle Australia’s "cash economy"

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 9-Nov-15

The solid increase in the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating (now 116.6, up from 105.3 pre-Turnbull) and Roy Morgan Business Confidence (119.3 in October 2015, up from 102.6 in August) since Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister in mid-September gives him the political capital to make the tough decisions now to ensure Australia’s future prosperity. The recent discussion about the taxation system – including increasing the GST from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, and possibly broadening the GST base, is needed because too many people and companies do not pay their fair share of tax. Broadening the GST base in combination with tax reform will help tackle Australia’s booming "cash economy" and allow the Federal Government to implement extensive industrial relations reform. Australians who want to prosper will not complain, as more jobs will be available for everyone.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Cheques dead and cash no longer king

Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 6-Aug-14

The Australian Payments Clearing Association has issued a new study commissioned from the RFi consultancy firm. The "Milestones Report" predicts the share of all transactions that is accounted for by cash to decline by 20% to just 43% in the period to 2018. The use of cheques has also dropped 12.5% in 2012 and 13.3% in 2013, and by 2018 there may be few businesses left that still accept them. Credit cards and the eftpos system are tipped to each hold 24% of the payments market by 2018, while new solutions using smartphones will grow their share from 2% to 12%

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PAYMENTS CLEARING ASSOCIATION LIMITED, RETAIL FINANCE INTELLIGENCE PTY LTD, PROPERTY EXCHANGE AUSTRALIA, MASTERCARD AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VISA INTERNATIONAL, EFT-POS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA