While static microsimulation models of the tax-transfer system are now available throughout the developed world, health microsimulation models are much rarer. This is, at least in part, due to the difficulties in creating adequate base micro-datasets upon which the microsimulation models can be...

Finding ways of curbing government expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) while maintaining social equity and access to 'essential' medicines is at the centre of ongoing public debate. This article describes a microsimulation model of the PBS that simulates current and future...

In recent years outlays on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme have increased rapidly, prompting both attempts by government to reduce growth in outlays and renewed interest in the characteristics of the beneficiaries of the Scheme. This article uses a microsimulation model to analyse...

This paper presents estimates of housing stress for Statistical Local Areas (SLA) in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT in 2005. The estimates were created by synthesising small-area microdata for measuring housing stress. The technique involves the reweighting of a national ABS sample survey to...

The past decade has seen major reforms to the design of Australia’s tax system. This paper outlines these reforms and examines their distributional impact across the household income spectrum. While the authors estimated tax incidence in Australia prior to the July 2000 (ANTS) reforms (which...

This paper examines the impact of changes to Australia’s student financing system on various hypothetical students who choose the Government’s proposed deferred payment options, HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP. The present values of their HECS repayments under the existing (2004) system are compared...

The introduction of A New Tax System in July 2000 included substantial changes to social security payments, including family assistance and child care subsidies. Most of these payments are income tested, so that as a family’s income increases the amount of government assistance it receives is...

In 2010, the Secretary to the Treasury of the Government of Australia (Ken Henry) chaired a review of Australia’s Tax system (called the Henry Review). This review outlined a number of significant changes to Australia’s tax system, which could be implemented over a number of years, including...