ACOSS Reports & Submissions
Economics & Tax
February 2005
This year's budget is being framed in a period of prosperity for the Australian economy and for those who enjoy good jobs and incomes. Economic growth has been strong for most of the last decade. People with significant assets have enjoyed rising property and share values. Skilled workers have enjoyed significant wage rises and promotions. Yet many people still live and many of our basic services operate in prosperity's shadow.
ACOSS Paper 137. Includes: Taxation. Taxation recommendations. Indigenous communities. Employment, education & training. Income support. Housing. Rural & remote communities. Community services. Health. Law & justice. Community Legal Centres. Unemployment. Oral Health. Mental Health. Community-based health care. Services for families & children. Indigenous reconciliation & rights.
October 2004
The research examines the income and family circumstances of the bottom 20% of families, and how their incomes changed over the past seven years compared with that of middle income families
ACOSS Info paper 367. Includes: NATSEM Research. Family assistance payments. Family Tax Benefit. Poorest 20% of Australian families. Family income. Taxation. Federal Budget 2004. Sole parents. Families with teenagers. Policy implications.
September 2004
Paper highlights key areas of need.
ACOSS Info paper 361. Includes: Family assistance payments. Family Tax Benefit. Child poverty. Youth allownce. Unemployment. Social security payments. Taxation. Medicare. Community care. Oral health. Dementia. Child Care Benefit. Reconciliation. Indigenous representation. Indigenous health. Community Development Employment Program (CDEP). Housing.
September 2004
The Commonwealth's initiatives in 1999 and 2000 to encourage higher levels of private health insurance cover, including the 30% rebate to make private health insurance more affordable, has had no discernable effect on the distribution of private health insurance across income groups. If the private health insurance rebate is about supporting choice, it appears that low and middle income groups have not been exercising it. On the other hand, it is not surprising that high income groups continue to hold private health insurance. These groups receive a tax incentive - in the form of a 1% reduction in the Medicare levy - if they hold private health insurance, as well as the 30% rebate enjoyed by everyone who holds private health insurance.
ACOSS Info paper 364. Includes: Private health insurance. Taxation. Medicare levy. Private health insurance rebate. Low income people and health insurance.
August 2004
Comparison of our social security system with those of other wealthy countries finds that Australia's system is lean and mean. This paper reports several key findings.
ACOSS Info paper 360. Includes: Comparable output of resources and overall expenditure on welfare payments. Rates of payments and the subsequent effect upon jobless families and individuals. Social Security system. Child poverty.
August 2004
The CFMEU and ACOSS share a concern that our income tax system has become so weighed down with avoidance, evasion and permissiveness that those who can afford to pay higher levels of tax can easily avoid doing so. This has two detrimental effects. First, it means that taxes are raised unfairly, since low and middle income earners must pay more to meet the shortfall. Second, public revenue is inadequate to fund the services Australians need. Action to curb tax avoidance and evasion could yield billions of dollars of extra public revenue to improve services. This is an issue that deserves to be raised in the forthcoming Federal elections.
ACOSS Paper 136. Includes: Taxation. Taxation reform. Taxation of working families. Negative gearing. Capital gains tax. Superannuation. Regional development.
August 2004
ACOSS Info paper 359. Published by ACOSS, 2004.
Includes: Community services. National Competition Policy (NCP) and low-income and disadvantaged Australians. Social benefit and Public Interest Test. Markets, quasi-markets and social welfare.
June 2004
The ACOSS Budget Briefing Kit 2004-05 is a summary of key measures likely to be of most interest to the community services sector because they impact directly or indirectly on low income and disadvantaged people. It contains minimal commentary. The Kit focuses on new policy measures.
(Blueprint For A Fairer Australia), ACOSS Paper 134. Published by ACOSS, 2004. Includes: Taxation. Indigenous communities. Employment, education & training. Income support. Housing. Rural & remote communities. Community services. Health. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Law & justice. Community Legal Centres.
June 2004
The primary interest of ACOSS in the application and impact of National Competition Policy is in relation to improvements or deterioration in the lives of low income and disadvantaged Australians, and improvements or deterioration in the circumstances of community agencies seeking to support low income and disadvantaged Australians.
ACOSS Info paper 359. Includes: Community services. National Competition Policy (NCP) and low-income and disadvantaged Australians. Social benefit and Public Interest Test. Markets, quasi-markets and social welfare.
June 2004
The ACOSS Budget Briefing Kit 2004-05 is a summary of key measures likely to be of most interest to the community services sector because they impact directly or indirectly on low income and disadvantaged people. It contains minimal commentary. The Kit focuses on new policy measures.
ACOSS Paper 134. Includes: Taxation. Taxation recommendations. Indigenous communities. Employment, education & training. Income support. Housing. Rural & remote communities. Community services. Health. Law & justice. Community Legal Centres. Unemployment. Oral Health. Mental Health. Community-based health care. Services for families & children. Indigenous reconciliation & rights.
