Briferendum Series

Forget Brexit – austerity is far worse for the UK economy

Jun 03, 2016 08:15 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The weight of opinion holds that leaving the European Union would be costly for Britain. The latest forecast, from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies, predicts that austerity measures such as cuts in public...

Tax-free super is intergenerational theft

Jun 03, 2016 08:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

A number of politicians have struggled this week to explain the Turnbull Governments proposed changes to superannuation. Given the complexity of the area, thats not surprising. And this complexity explains why...

What is the temporary deficit levy and why was it introduced?

Jun 03, 2016 07:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The temporary deficit levy might be here to stay if Labor is elected. The tax, which targets the wealthy, was actually introduced by the Coalition in 2014 as a means of reducing the budget deficit. The levy is a 2%...

Emerging Market Crisis Series

Brazil: no longer the country of the future?

Jun 02, 2016 09:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

When I first served in Brazil in the mid-1960s as a young American diplomat stationed at a small consulate in Belem on the mouth of the Amazon River, the country was in its second year of a 20-year military...

Briferendum Series

Briferendum Series: OECD issues fresh warnings over exit, slashes GDP forecast

Jun 01, 2016 10:46 am UTC| Commentary Economy

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has slashed GDP forecast for United Kingdom and also issued economic warnings against Britains exit from European Union, in a report today. It has GDP...

Is Australia's foreign debt nearly $1 trillion, up from $74 billion last year?

Jun 01, 2016 08:15 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Excerpt from QA, May 30, 2016. Our foreign debt is approaching $1 trillion, which is extraordinary. Last year it was $74 billion. Independent senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon, speaking on QA, May 30,...

Strong GDP growth figures show Australian economy on track

Jun 01, 2016 08:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

It is hard to find any bad news in the latest quarterly GDP result. GDP growth of 1.1% for the March quarter (0.9% trend) puts annual growth just over 3%. The Federal Budget and subsequent Pre-election Economic and...