Archived publication for 2009 in Occasional Paper
Recent publications
State Business Tax Calculator - Fact Sheets - 2009
The IPA State Business Tax Calculator (SBTC) is a quantitative model that measures the tax imposed on business by state governments. The latest information on tax rates and structures (as at 31 December 2009) are used to calculate tax liabilities.
Business Bearing the Burden 2009
The IPA State Business Tax Calculator calculates the level of state government taxes on business in each of the six Australian states. The IPA analysis reveals: South Australia has the highest taxes on business, while Western Australia has the...
Costly, ineffectual and protectionist carbon tariffs
Many developed country governments are in the process of negotiating for the introduction of carbon price signals to incentivise business and consumers to reduce their carbon footprint. Individual European countries and the European Union already...
The moral value of free markets
Speech from the launch of Richard Morgan's Lessons From The Global Financial Crisis: The Relevance of Adam Smith on Morality and Free Markets. We are here today to launch Richard Morgan's book, a book that applies 18th century wisdom to current...
How much do we actually spend on early childhood?
International comparisons of public spending data are ubiquitous in economics. But what do such exercises actually tell us? When performed correctly by economists, international comparisons can often provide useful information and insights into...
Tax Cuts Not Stimulus Spending
Over the course of the 2008-09 financial year the Australian Government took a series of significant fiscal policy decisions which were designed to act as an economic stimulus. This paper asks the following simple hypothetical question: if those...
Does fiscal stimulus work? What Nobel Price winners say
We have been told that ‘you don't need a PhD in economics' to understand why fiscal stimulus packages increase economic activity. Senior government ministers, the Treasury, a host of business economists, and a legion of journalists - amongst...
Five and a half big things Kevin Rudd doesn't understand about the Australian economy
Five and a half big things Kevin Rudd doesn't understand about the Australian economy
Are retail sales well above expectations?
State Finances at the Crossroads: The states' budget problem and what to do about it
The economic and fiscal performance of the states has a significant impact on Australia's economic fortunes now and in the future. With taxing, spending and financial management policies and strategies at its disposal, state activities have a...