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Archived news for October 2011 | Recent news
Carbon tax an ever-increasing tariff
From July 1 next year, Australia is going to discover a carbon tax and trade barriers have the same disastrous economic impact. Last Monday, Trade...
Carbon policy sacrifices nation's wealth
When Adam Smith famously pointed out that "there is a great deal of ruin in a nation", he had in mind the foolishness of its political leaders. The...
Baillieu needs to move on reform
Nobody is accusing the Baillieu Government of intemperate haste in rectifying the Bracks-Brumby era's unrestrained spending programs and regulatory...
The costs of taxation and other Laffering matters
The Laffer curve is nothing new. The philosopher Ibn Khaldun (1332 - 1406) wrote in his 1375 masterpiece al-Mugaddimah: "At the beginning of the...
Rudd continues to struggle with economics
Recent musings by Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd provide a timely reminder that economic policy remains his Achilles heel. Speaking in New York last...
It's time for tax reform
Australians are over-taxed. And, to paraphrase Kerry Packer's immortal phrase, governments don't spend our money well enough to deserve any more of...
The capitalist heroes we forget
The death of Steve Jobs has offered us a symbol which is surprisingly rare: the capitalist as a hero. The tributes to the Apple co-founder have...
Rebels without a cause indulge in delusions of revolution
Comparisons between the Arab Spring and Wall Street protests are facile. It's hard to imagine a comparison more trite than that made between the...
Abbott's hollow agenda
Tony Abbott needs to be careful It's one thing for him to be cautious. But it's another thing when he starts ruling out policies which are based on...
Summit must tackle Commonwealth-state powers
The debate at today's tax forum between the Commonwealth and states over taxing powers is one we need to have. This is because, as NSW Treasurer...