Yesterday
Why the super sector should be doubly worried about Iran
The superannuation sector hopes the Iran crisis is solved quickly so it can avoid the risk of a nasty bear market colliding with persistent operational issues.
This Month
Industry super’s Mean Girls club
Lobby groups governed by Labor heavyweights such as Wayne Swan, Nicola Roxon and James Merlino aren’t usually associated with bipartisanship.
ATO warns family trusts its amnesty on back taxes won’t last
The discounts on the interest charged for making an incorrect family trust election fall off sharply the longer a trust delays coming forward.
Why AustralianSuper is helping send directors to school
Former BHP chairman Ken MacKenzie will help start a new course for ASX 200 directors that has won the backing of the $385 billion superannuation giant.
Members should beware the risks of super funds leveraging up
Once borrowing is introduced at a major fund level, trustees are no longer just managing liquidity. They are changing the underlying risk settings of members’ retirement savings.
Someone else just wrote Jim Chalmers’ big tax reform plan
Allegra Spender lobbed a $29 billion grenade into the tax debate, arguing Australia is becoming a place where your “parents’ balance sheet matters more than your own ambition”.
CGT change could raise $9b – but with a catch for existing investors
The government could raise enough from trimming the tax break on capital gains for investment properties and shares to provide an about $600 a year tax cut for workers.
Spender’s $29b plan: Cut income tax by taxing assets more
Independent MP Allegra Spender has called for a major intergenerational rebalancing of the system by cutting income tax, paid for by higher levies on capital gains and trusts.
Runners and riders for AusSuper’s most important job
The $410 billion fund may be hard-pushed to find a local candidate with experience with the size and sheer diversity of its investment pool.
CGT reform may fix Australia’s negative gearing problem: economists
As Labor mulls big budget changes, experts say increasing the tax on capital gains should cool investor demand for property before any cut to negative gearing.
Secret Treasury tax report targets trusts
Tightening the tax rules on annual trust distributions could deliver immediate revenue to the government of more than $3 billion a year.
Only retrospective CGT change is fair for the young, says tax expert
A member of the Henry tax review warns that the mooted reforms are not worth doing unless intergenerational equity can be achieved.
AusSuper and HESTA have photo ops, not affordable housing
Ethical property company Assemble has turned out to be just as keen to cash in on rising property prices as regular developers.
Chalmers’ new tax on pension fund investment giants worries Canada
Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he would propose changes to how foreign investors would be taxed on energy and infrastructure.
CGT smash and grab on investment is not going to help the young
Framing debates about tax concessions in terms of intergenerational equity reflects a redistributionist, zero-sum mindset that ignores growth.
Unions back super funds over mum and dad property investors. Here’s why
Big unions want to push out the mum and dad investors. What they don’t say is they want to keep the capital gains discount for super funds intact. Entirely.
February
Cut 47 per cent tax rate to reduce property perks
The sharp rise in Australians caught in the top income taxation bracket is fuelling the exploitation of negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.
Fiddling with CGT won’t fix the housing crisis for young buyers
The Albanese government has arguably the biggest opportunity for reform since John Howard’s commanding election victory in 1996. If not now, when?
Labor confirms negative gearing and CGT changes in the mix for budget
The Albanese government is striving for revenue and intergenerational equality in the housing market, a source has revealed.
REIA CGT rent scare campaign is ‘bunkum’
Jim Chalmers cannot repeat Bill Shorten’s mistakes – capital gains reforms must be paired with less spending and going bigger on tax cuts for workers.
Capital gains tax debate needs facts, not spin
While there may be a case to change the 50 per cent discount on capital gains, the economic reality is the tax break is not nearly as generous as its critics claim.
‘Not over yet’: Super veteran departs with warning for fund giants
Outgoing HESTA boss Debby Blakey is moving to a career in the boardroom as the superannuation sector confronts its next challenge: members hitting retirement.
Jim Chalmers should dust off Ken Henry’s CGT reform plan
The 2010 tax review recommendation to lower the 50 per cent discount was part of changes seeking to reduce the disparity in taxation of different forms of saving.
You don’t build more houses raising capital gains tax on housing
With ALP spending at 40-year highs outside the pandemic, they’ve run out of money. And now they’re coming after yours.
Chalmers’ capital gains tax plan worthy of consideration
The federal government’s plan to scale back capital gains tax breaks for investors is a symbolic move to address the legitimate grievances of younger renters.
