The stage three tax cuts are a taxation policy overseen by the Australian Government, that came into effect on 1 July 2024. Originally forming the third and last stage of the Turnbull government's personal income tax reforms, stage three was altered in the Morrison government's 2019 budget to include an additional $90 billion of tax cuts. [1]
Stage three has been the subject of significant political discussion and controversy in Australian politics, and has been used as a wedge issue. During the 2022 Australian federal election campaign, the Coalition and Australian Labor Party both stated their full support for retaining stage three, whereas the Australian Greens and several independent MPs argued for its modification or abolition. In January 2024, the Albanese government announced modifications to stage three that reduced the overall cost and gave larger cuts to individuals earning under $200,000.
The original suite of tax cuts were legislated by the Turnbull government as the Treasury Laws Amendment (Personal Income Tax Plan) Bill 2018. [2] [3] Stage three was set to take place on 1 July 2024. [4]
All three stages were part of the same legislation, with Treasurer Scott Morrison stating this was done to provide "certainty". [5]
Following amendments, the final legislation passed the House of Representatives with the support of the Coalition, Bob Katter and independent MP Julia Banks. [6] The bill was opposed by Labor, the Greens and two independents; Cathy McGowan and Andrew Wilkie. [6]
In the lead-up to the 2019 federal election, Labor made a number of criticisms of stage three. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen stated in April 2019 that it was "neither fair nor responsible to lock in billions of dollars of tax giveaways that disproportionately benefit a relative few - and so far into the future”. [7] Shadow finance minister Jim Chalmers stated that "the last stage of tax cuts can only be funded by budget cuts". [8]
Following the Morrison government's victory at the federal election on 18 May, treasurer Josh Frydenberg handed down his budget. In it, the stage three tax cuts were modified to cut taxes by a further A$90 billion. [1] This change brought the total cost of stage three to A$254 billion over the 2024-2034 period. [1]
The legislation was passed on 4 July 2019, and was entitled "Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Relief so Working Australians Keep More of Their Money)". [9] [10] Opposition leader Anthony Albanese unsuccessfully proposed amending the name of the bill to "Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Relief So Working Australians Keep More of Their Money But Not For a Really Long Time)." [10]
Labor voted for the A$158 billion dollar tax plan in both chambers of parliament, but leader Anthony Albanese stated that they had done so as not to block the earlier stages from benefiting "working Australians". [11] In the Senate, the legislation was supported by the Coalition, Labor, Jacqui Lambie and the Centre Alliance, and was opposed by the Greens. [9] Labor unsuccessfully proposed amending the legislation to delay stage three and bring stage two of the tax cuts forward. [9]
In September 2020, The Australia Institute published a report stating that the majority of the stage two and three cuts would benefit the top 10% of earners. [12]
In July 2021, the Labor party held a party room meeting where they decided that if they formed government, they would retain stage three. [13]
After becoming Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese ruled out altering or abolishing stage three. [14]
In August 2022, federal crossbenchers voiced their opposition to stage three. David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie, Dai Le, Monique Ryan, Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie stated that stage three should be abandoned, and Rebekha Sharkie stated that the timing of stage three "should be reconsidered". [15] Pauline Hanson stated her support for stage three being implemented. [15]
In the same month, the Parliamentary Budget Office released a report, commissioned by the Australian Greens. The report stated that stage three would provide around twice as much benefit to men as to women, and that 48% of the benefits of stage three would go to those earning above A$180,000. [16]
In October 2022, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stated that he did not believe the cuts should be implemented, due to their cost, and that Labor had made a mistake by committing to implement them at the 2022 federal election. [17]
Independent members of the Australian Parliament advocated for restructuring of stage three, including Dai Le, David Pocock and Monique Ryan. [18]
In January, the Albanese government announced changes to the stage three tax cuts. The changes mean that individuals earning between A$45,000 to A$150,000 (the median taxpayer earning around A$59,000 in FY2024-25) will pay A$804 less tax compared to the previous stage three plan. For those earning over A$200,000, the cut is reduced by half. [19] [20] [21]
Stage one (Schedule 1 of Treasury Laws Amendment (Personal Income Tax Plan) Bill 2018) is the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (LMITO, nicknamed the "lamington") [22] , along with some changes to the Low Income Tax Offset (see Income tax in Australia - Low income tax offset). The LMITO is a separate and temporary tax rebate introduced by the Morrison government in July 2019 and is available for the 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22 income years only. The maximum amount of LMITO is $1,080, it cannot reduce tax liability below zero dollars, and the offset cuts out when taxable income reaches $126,000. The LMITO does not reduce the Medicare levy. [23] [3] . Further changes in 2019 increased the LMITO from the 2018 legislation. [9] [ clarification needed ]
Taxable income | Low and middle income tax offset (until 2021–22) |
---|---|
$18,200 – $37,000 | $255 |
$37,001 – $48,000 | $255 plus 7.5c for every $1 above $37,000, up to a maximum of $1,080 |
$48,001 – $90,000 | $1,080 |
$90,001 – $126,000 | $1,080 minus 3c for every $1 above $90,000 |
$126,001 and over | $0 |
Stage two (part of Schedule 2) involves lifting the thresholds for the 19% and 32.5% marginal tax brackets [22] . As initially legislated, the upper threshold for the 32.5% bracket would rise from A$87,000 to A$90,000 in 2018, and to A$120,000 in 2022, while the upper threshold for the 19% bracket would rise from A$37,000 to A$41,000 in 2022. [3] Further changes in 2019 increased the upper threshold of the 19% bracket further to $A45,000, and brought the remaining stage two changes forward to 2020. [9]
Before stage two (FY2017-18) [24] | Planned stage two (FY2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22) [3] | Planned Stage two (FY 2022-23, 2023-24) [3] | Actual stage two (FY2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxable income | Marginal tax rate | Taxable income | Marginal tax rate | Taxable income | Marginal tax rate | Taxable income | Marginal tax rate |
$1 – $18,200 | 0% | $1 – $18,200 | 0% | $1 – $18,200 | 0% | $1 – $18,200 | 0% |
$18,201 – $37,000 | 19% | $18,201 – $37,000 | 19% | $18,201 – $41,000 | 19% | $18,201 – $45,000 | 19% |
$37,001 – $87,000 | 32.5% | $37,001 – $90,000 | 32.5% | $41,001 – $120,000 | 32.5% | $45,001 – $120,000 | 32.5% |
$87,001 – $180,000 | 37% | $90,001 – $180,000 | 37% | $120,001 – $180,000 | 37% | $120,001 – $180,000 | 37% |
$180,001 and over | 45% | $180,001 and over | 45% | $180,001 and over | 45% | $180,001 and over | 45% |
Tax rates are as listed for Australian residents.
The stage three tax cuts (part of Schedule 2), as initially legislated (not including temporary stage one changes, and stage two changes) would have kept the lowest two brackets the same (A$1-$18,200, and A$18,201-$45,000), but would have merged the next two brackets to create a bracket from A$45,001 to A$200,000 that would have been taxed at a lower marginal rate of 30%. The threshold for the top tax bracket would have been increased from A$180,001 to A$200,001.
The revised stage three tax cuts from the Albanese Government keeps all five tax brackets. The tax rate for the second lowest bracket (A$18,201-$45,000) will be reduced from 19% to 16%, while the third lowest bracket will cover incomes from A$45,001 to A$135,000 (A$45,001 to A$120,000 before stage three) and be taxed at a rate of 30%. The two highest brackets will be taxed at their current marginal rates, but will have higher thresholds, only applying for incomes above A$135,001 and A$190,001, compared to A$120,001 and A$180,001 before stage three.
Pre stage three (FY2023-24) [24] | Original stage three tax cuts [25] | Revised stage three tax cuts [24] [25] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxable income | Marginal tax rate | Taxable income | Marginal tax rate | Taxable income | Marginal tax rate |
$1 – $18,200 | 0% | $1 – $18,200 | 0% | $1 – $18,200 | 0% |
$18,201 – $45,000 | 19% | $18,201 – $45,000 | 19% | $18,201 – $45,000 | 16% |
$45,001 – $120,000 | 32.5% | $45,001 – $200,000 | 30% | $45,001 – $135,000 | 30% |
$120,001 – $180,000 | 37% | $135,001 – $190,000 | 37% | ||
$180,001 and over | 45% | $200,001 and over | 45% | $190,001 and over | 45% |
Tax rates are as listed for Australian residents.
The Coalition has accused Albanese and the government of lying and breaking an election promise by changing aspects of stage three. Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley stated that Labor "lied about these tax cuts", [26] and shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor stated that the decision was "the mother of all broken promises”. [27]
Initially, several figures in the Coalition suggested that they would oppose the government's changes. On 23 January, Taylor stated that the Coalition would "absolutely not" support any changes to the tax cuts. [28] On 25 January, Ley stated that the Coalition's position was to "support the existing stage three arrangements", [26] and opposition leader Peter Dutton stated that the changes were significant enough that the government should hold an election to get a mandate for them. [29] On 26 January, Dutton stated that the Coalition was wanting to "understand the costings" before making a decision about supporting the changes. [30]
On 6 February 2024, the Coalition announced that they would support the government's amended legislation in Parliament. [31] [32] The legislation passed through the House of Representatives on 15 February, and passed through the Senate in an evening sitting of 27 February. [33] [34]
Greens leader Adam Bandt stated on 26 January 2024 that the changes to stage three were not sufficient for assisting low- and middle-income earners. [35]
A poll conducted by The Australia Institute in September 2022 found that 41 percent of respondents supported a repeal of the stage three tax cuts, while 22 percent were opposed. [36] Another poll by the Australia Institute in October 2023 found that in a cohort of voters informed of the cost to the budget and who benefitted from the tax cuts, 25% of respondents supported repealing the tax cuts, and 44% stated they should be restructured. [37] 17% were in favour of retaining stage three in an unchanged form. [37]
After the Albanese government announced changes to the tax cuts in January 2024, a poll by Newspoll found that 62 percent of those surveyed were supportive of the changes. [38]
Polling by the Australia institute in the Division of Dunkley in the lead-up to the 2024 Dunkley by-election found that 66% of residents surveyed supported the government's changes to stage three. [39]
The Australian Industry Group called for a reduction in the next minimum wage increase due to the redesign of the stage three tax cuts, arguing that workers would receive 2% more money, adding to inflationary pressures. The Fair Work Commission previously decided in 2019 that it would not be appropriate to directly reduce the minimum wage increase that year from the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset [40]
The Australian Greens (AG), commonly referred to simply as the Greens, are a confederation of green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and the fourth-largest by elected representation. The leader of the party is Adam Bandt, with Mehreen Faruqi serving as deputy leader. Larissa Waters currently holds the role of Senate leader.
Anthony Norman Albanese is an Australian politician who is the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the leader of the Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and a member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Grayndler since 1996. Albanese previously served as the 15th deputy prime minister under the second Rudd government in 2013. He held various ministerial positions from 2007 to 2013 in the governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
There is no personal income tax in Tasmania.
Zali Steggall is an Australian politician, lawyer and former Winter Olympic athlete. She has been the independent member for Warringah since the 2019 Australian federal election when she defeated the incumbent, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Gerardine Mary "Ged" Kearney is an Australian politician and trade unionist who is the Australian Labor Party member for the federal Division of Cooper and the current Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, a position she has occupied since the election of the government of Anthony Albanese at the 2022 Australian federal election. Kearney has been a member of the House of Representatives since March 2018, first representing the Division of Batman. Prior to entering politics, Kearney served as president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2010 to 2018.
Mehreen Saeed Faruqi is a Pakistani-born Australian politician and former engineer who has been a federal Senator for New South Wales since 15 August 2018, representing the Greens. She was chosen to fill a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Lee Rhiannon, before being elected in her own right in 2019. She had previously served in the New South Wales Legislative Council between June 2013 and August 2018. Since June 2022, Faruqi has served as Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens.
James Edward Chalmers is an Australian politician. He has been Treasurer of Australia in the Albanese government since May 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served as a member of parliament for the division of Rankin since 2013.
A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Batman took place on 17 March 2018. The by-election was called as a result of the resignation on 1 February 2018 of the incumbent backbench Australian Labor Party MP, David Feeney, who resigned amid the 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis.
The 2018 Australian federal budget was the federal budget to fund government services and operations for the 2018–19 financial year. The budget was presented to the House of Representatives by Treasurer Scott Morrison on 8 May 2018. It was the fifth budget to be handed down by the Liberal/National Coalition since its election to government at the 2013 federal election, and the third and final budget to be handed down by Morrison and the Turnbull government.
The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn in by the Governor-General of Australia. It was composed of members of the Liberal–National Coalition and succeeded the Abbott (2013–2015) and Turnbull (2015–2018) coalition governments in office, competing against the Australian Labor Party as the major Opposition party. Nationals Leader Michael McCormack was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from the formation of the Morrison government until June 2021. He was replaced as Leader of the Nationals and Deputy Prime Minister by Barnaby Joyce.
The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 21 May 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sought to win a fourth consecutive term in office but was defeated by the opposition Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese. Up for election were all 151 seats in the lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as 40 of the 76 seats in the upper house, the Senate.
Gerard Rennick is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Queensland since July 2019. He was elected as a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sat with the Liberal Party in parliament, until resigning from the party in 2024 to sit as an independent. As of 10 September 2024, Rennick sits as a member of his party, the People First Party.
The Robodebt scheme was an unlawful method of automated debt assessment and recovery implemented in Australia under the Liberal-National Coalition governments of Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison, and employed by the Australian government agency Services Australia as part of its Centrelink payment compliance program. Put in place in July 2016 and announced to the public in December of the same year, the scheme aimed to replace the formerly manual system of calculating overpayments and issuing debt notices to welfare recipients with an automated data-matching system that compared Centrelink records with averaged income data from the Australian Taxation Office.
The 2025 Australian federal election will be held on or before 17 May 2025 to elect members of the 48th Parliament of Australia. 150 seats in the House of Representatives and likely 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate will be contested. It is expected that at this election, the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be seeking re-election to a second term in office, opposed by the Liberal/National Coalition under Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton, minor parties such as the Greens, and independents.
In the lead-up to the 2025 Australian federal election, a number of polling companies are conducting opinion polls for various news organisations. These polls collect data on parties' primary vote, and contain an estimation of the two-party-preferred lead.
Monique Marie Ryan is an Australian politician and former paediatric neurologist. She is currently the independent Member of Parliament for the Division of Kooyong, Victoria, having won the seat at the 2022 federal election.
The 47th Parliament of Australia is the current meeting of the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Australia, composed of the Australian Senate and the Australian House of Representatives. The May 2022 federal election gave the Australian Labor Party control of the House, with 77 seats, enough for a two-seat majority government. Labor gained an additional seat at the Aston by-election in April 2023, thereby increasing its majority to three seats for the remainder of the term. Following the election, Labor leader Anthony Albanese became the 31st Prime Minister of Australia, and was sworn in by the Governor-General David Hurley on 23 May 2022. The 47th Parliament opened in Canberra on 26 July 2022.
Carina Mary Lindsay Garland is an Australian politician. She has served as a Labor MP for Chisholm since the 2022 Australian federal election.
The Albanese government is the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party. The Albanese government commenced on 23 May 2022, when Albanese and an interim ministry of four other Labor MPs were sworn into their relevant ministerial portfolios by the Governor-General of Australia. The government is composed of members of the Australian Labor Party. The party initially governed with 77 seats on the floor of the House of Representatives, enough for a two-seat majority. Albanese succeeded the Scott Morrison-led Liberal/National Coalition government (2018–2022), which became unable to continue in government following their defeat in the 2022 federal election. This is the first Labor government to be in office at the federal level since the second Rudd government was defeated by the Coalition at the 2013 election. Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles is serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
Fatima Payman is an Australian politician who has served as a senator for Western Australia since 2022, first for the Labor Party and then as an independent, before launching her own political party − Australia's Voice − in October 2024.