UQ experts consulted on the future of tax

Two UQ experts are among 20 academics invited by the Federal Government to discuss the future of tax reform in Australia next week.

Professor Flavio Menezes, Head of the School of Economics, and Associate Professor Kerrie Sadiq from the TC Beirne School of Law are the only academics from Queensland to be invited to Tax Forum to be held in Canberra on 4 and 5 October.

The forum will focus on the outcomes of last year's federal tax review and cover topics such as personal tax, transfer payments, business tax, state taxes, environmental and social taxes, and tax system governance.

Joining the two academics will be UQ Law PhD candidate Nance Frawley and Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts student Chris Mellish, who were selected among the ten student observers to attend the forum.

Professor Menezes contributed to the Australia's Future Tax System Review (the Henry Review) and said the invitation to the forum was a great opportunity to be able to engage with an illustrious group of representatives from various segments of society.

"In preparation for the Forum we were given the opportunity to provide a position statement and I have written in support of the introduction of an allowance for corporate equity," Professor Menezes said.

"Such allowance can be seen as an additional deduction available to corporations when financing new investment by equity. It will have the effect of reducing the tax bias toward debt financing, stimulate new investment and reduce the overall cost of capital in Australia."

Dr Sadiq, who is a tax expert and teaches taxation law, said the invitation was a chance to be part of the discussion on important areas of reform within the Australian tax system.

"This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to national tax reform in Australia, particularly in relation to my academic research into tax expenditures which is highly relevant to fiscal responsibility and the integrity of the tax system," Dr Sadiq said.

The forum will be followed by a debate on tax reform in the Australian Parliament.

Media: Paula Brodhurst-Hill, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law 3346 0632 or pwhite@bel.uq.edu.au