Business Reform Task Force

WORDS FROM THE TASK FORCE CHAIRMAN

We are inspired that in the past 15 years, policy reform has seen the creation of 2.8 million new jobs in Australia and personal incomes growing by almost 50 per cent on average. We won’t accept that Australia has over 500,000 pages of regulation across three levels of government, and corporate tax as a percentage of national revenue is the fourth highest of 30 countries in the OECD. – ROBERT MILLINER, CHAIRMAN, BUSINESS REFORM TASK FORCE AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE PARTNER, MALLESONS STEPHEN JAQUES

Joining Robert on the task force are the following BCA members:

Michael Andrew – KPMG
David Deverall – Perpetual Limited
Marius Kloppers – BHP Billiton
John O’Sullivan – Credit Suisse (Australia) Ltd
David Peever – Rio Tinto Australia
Andrew Penn – AXA Asia Pacific Holdings

Australia stands on the threshold of an exciting new era of growth. With the right policy settings, we can secure the ongoing growth of our economy for the benefit of all Australians.

Sound policy reforms by successive governments at the federal level have opened up trade and finance, promoted workplace flexibility and cooperation, reduced both personal and corporate income tax rates and promoted competition between businesses.

They have enhanced Australia’s productive capacity, delivering more jobs and higher incomes.

The BCA’s Business Reform Task Force works to influence government policy so that it protects and builds on Australia’s advantages.

This includes making sure regulations that affect businesses are sensible and streamlined across the country.

We advocate major changes to our tax system to further encourage business to invest and individual Australians to work and save.

Priorities for 2010

• Lead the debate on tax reform by developing a greater understanding and consensus around the benefits of lower personal income and company taxes, greater reliance on broad-based consumption taxes and the removal of inefficient state taxes.
  
• Inform and influence COAG to better prioritise its agenda and deliver the microeconomic reforms needed to enhance Australia’s productivity while addressing community concerns about living conditions.
  
• Hold governments to their commitment to follow world best practice in creating and changing business regulation, ensuring it is based on evidence that there’s actually a problem and that regulation is the best way to deal with it.

 The BCA Secretariat contact for the task force is Peter Crone, Director Policy.