Budget 2017: How tax policy should be implemented

Right up until the point Scott Morrison cleared his throat to deliver this Budget, there were 255 pre-budget submissions made to Treasury. Throw in a white paper tax reform process that went nowhere (not to mention the Henry Review that has been largely ignored) and one thing is clear: speculating on a Budget is like picking the winner of the Melbourne Cup.

In Australia, tax policy has largely been promoted behind the scenes by the Board of Tax and Treasury with significant contributions by various industry bodies. A look at the organisations that submit ideas gives a good indication of the depth and breadth of contributors to the process.

However, in terms of process, in relation to the some major Government announcements, we are still locked into a system where tax changes are a surprise to many handed down on Budget night. We then descend into the inevitable arguments around fairness and class warfare where 'rich' is defined as anyone earning $180k or more a