Business unites to set tax reform benchmark
4 May 1998
Opening the Corporate Taxation Association Convention today, Mr
Fergus Ryan, Chairman of the Business Coalition for Tax Reform,
presented the united business case for tax reform.
In doing so he set the benchmark against which business will judge the Government’s tax reform package.
"The reform strategy must be comprehensive. This means:
- Eliminating as many of the existing indirect taxes as possible,
- A well-designed GST, based on a single rate of between 10% and
12.5% and applying on as full a range of goods and services as possible.
- A substantial reform of Federal/State financial relations
- Reductions in all income tax rates, including in the very high
effective tax rates imposed on low and middle income Australians.
- Substantial reforms to improve business tax arrangements in a way
that addresses business concerns through genuine consultative process."
"Above all business will examine whether the reforms make the changes needed to improve business competitiveness."
"The reform package must also be perceived by the community to be fair," said Mr. Ryan.
Business is currently hamstrung by:
- An indirect tax system that puts our exporting and import competing industries at a disadvantage,
- Taxes on financial transactions that impede the development of Australia as a regional finance centre,
- High marginal tax rates that make Australia an unattractive place for skilled professionals and executives,
- A complex and unpredictable tax system that deters investment and
- Penalties for Australian-based firms seeking to expand their operations offshore."
Mr Ryan flagged significant changes to business taxation, including
the possibility of a comprehensive overhaul of the business tax system.
"Business tax reform can be approached in one of two ways."
"We can take the traditional approach and get rid of the worst
excesses of the current system, or we can embrace a comprehensive
overhaul of the business tax system."
Mr. Ryan said that, "It is too early to say what might be involved
in a complete overhaul of business taxation, but the advantages of a
business taxation system with integrity and consistency would be
greater certainty and stability for investment. This would be a major
boost for our international competitiveness. It would also provide a
sound basis for a meaningful reform of tax administration."
He added that "a re-working of business taxation could require re-considering:
- the basis for the timing for write-off of all capital expenditure (including black-hole expenditure)
- the basis of moves to tax unrealised versus realised income
- the role of accounting rules in the computation of taxable income
- the appropriate options for the taxation of company groups
- the appropriate tax treatment of different structures."
"There are obvious risks in this approach however, and if we decide
to go down this route, we should be careful to insist that the process
not be rushed or forced upon business without genuine consultation."
"The Government is interested in a comprehensive approach to
business tax reform. The Business Coalition for Tax Reform has
established a consultative process with the Government’s Tax Task
Force."
Mr Ryan drew attention to the problems of the current tax administration and related them to the faulty design of the system.
He went on to say that "The source of our frustrations with the tax
authorities ultimately comes down to the fact that they are charged
with the almost impossible task of trying to administer a poorly
designed and patched up system. It is also true that, in trying to
administer a faulty system, the tax office is inclined to react
over-zealously against every suggestion of revenue leakage."
The Business Coalition for Tax Reform is examining both options for
reforming business taxation and Mr Ryan urged tax practitioners to
become involved and lend their expertise to the work being done.