JAT Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 4 – Bayliss

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UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME: THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE AUSTRALIAN TAX SYSTEM

Abstract

Due to changes in the labour force and the effects of growing income inequality, sustenance payment policies such as Universal Basic Income (UBI) are increasingly being looked to as possible solutions. Typically, tax law concerns the extraction of money from individuals to fund government spending, however the idea of a UBI provides a different way of conceptualising the transfer system. This paper examines if UBI legislation would be valid under the Australian Constitution and the potential impacts it may have on Australian tax law.

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JAT Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 3 – Freudenberg and Mortimore

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THE FIRM: RE-THINKING TUTORIALS TO PROVIDE GREATER AUTHENTICITY FOR FUTURE TAX PROFESSIONALS

Abstract
Professional identity and business awareness are seen as key generic skills that graduates need in their professional careers. However, a number of studies demonstrate that such skills are lacking in graduates, with students not always appreciating their importance. Creating curriculum and learning opportunities for such skill development can be challenging in an already crowded curriculum. This article reports a simulated work integrated learning scenario – The Firm – which was integrated into tax tutorials. The findings of the outcomes of the firm case study are reported, including observations about the advantages and disadvantages of the approach. It is argued that with a re-think of tax tutorials, it is possible to provide a learning environment with greater authenticity that can assist to enhance the students’ professional identity, as well as their technical knowledge; although it is not without its challenges. It is with such enhancement, that students will be better placed to commence their careers as tax advisors.

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JAT Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 2 – Barrett

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THE ROLE OF TAXES IN PROMOTING THE EXPERIENCE OF HOME FOR TENANTS

Abstract

Tenants and owner-occupiers experience housing differently both in terms of wealth and consumption. An owner-occupied property is typically a person’s primary investment as well as a shelter, whereas a tenant also enjoys a roof over their head but does not share increases in value of the property they occupy. Furthermore, an owner-occupier typically enjoys non- financial benefits, including a sense of continuity and order in events (ontological security). In contrast, due to relatively weak legal protections in Australia and New Zealand, tenants often face ontological insecurity. These different experiences matter because owner-occupation is a normal aspiration, and has traditionally been privileged by government policies in property- owning democracies. Yet more than one-third of Australians and New Zealanders do not own the housing they occupy. Seeking to equalise housing experiences between tenants and owners is therefore an appropriate goal for government. In this article, the term ‘synthetic owner- occupation’ is used to describe a practicable, equalised housing experience for tenants relative to owner-occupiers, but ‘home’ has similar import.
Taxes can neutralise to some extent the different wealth experiences of tenants and owner- occupiers but, because these measures tend to level the circumstances of the majority downwards, they are politically implausible. While taxes cannot be effective alone, they may also contribute to closing the gap in consumption experiences of owner-occupiers and tenants. This article investigates, in particular, how taxes can supplement regulation in promoting an experience of home for tenants.

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