Joe Hockey’s experience as treasurer illustrates a few fundamental points about how not to do the nation’s top economic job, write Tim Harcourt and Richard Holden.
All borrowing, whether domestic or foreign, entails a tax impost.This borrowing is only justified if it is to fund long-lived public goods that I, and others, benefit from collectively, writes Peter Swan.
It’s unrealistic and unfair to expect everyone to have the same retirement age, as it can can disadvantage groups with a systematically lower life expectancy, in particular the poor, writes Rafal Chomik.
Public confidence will be shaken if it becomes acceptable for governments to jack up taxes because they don’t approve of previous policies, writes Richard Holden.
