The new Tax and Transfer Policy Institute was launched today at the Australian National University's Crawford School.
The Tax and Transfer Policy Institute was established through a $3 million grant from the Federal Government to encourage a better understanding of our tax and transfer systems.
It will work collaboratively and inclusively with other institutions and think tanks, and it will engage with universities and academics across Australia and the world.
The Assistant Treasurer also announced today that the ATO has agreed to put more of its tax return data into the public domain while preserving the confidentiality of individual taxpayers, effectively doubling the amount of de-identified individual tax return data available for researchers. Making more information available to researchers advances another of the recommendations of the Henry Tax Review.
"One of the key aims of the Institute will be to participate in the ongoing public debate on tax reform and it will seek to work closely with policymakers from Commonwealth, State and Territory governments," said Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury.
"The contributions of the Institute and its researchers will be independent - free of political or ideological influence from governments or advocacy groups - and will be an important touchstone in the public debate on tax and transfer policy into the future."
The Institute will draw on the knowledge of renowned tax experts from Australia and around the world, and be guided by an Advisory Board (see Attachment) made up of leading figures in Australia's tax and transfer policy debate, chaired by Dr Ken Henry AC.
Attachment
The Advisory Board
- Dr Ken Henry AC (Chair)
- Professor Tom Kompas
- Dr John Hewson AM
- Professor John Piggott
- Professor Miranda Stewart
- Professor Robert (Bob) Breunig
Other Australian Fellows
- Professor Bruce Chapman
- Professor Warwick McKibbin
- Professor Peter Whiteford
- Professor Trevor Breusch
International Fellows
- Sir James Mirrlees
- Professor Alan Auerbach
- Professor John Whalley