We propose a Citizens Dividend for all working Australians earning less than the median wage.*

The top rate would be about $400 per month and would phase down as the median wage was approached.

This would be funded by:

• Federal taxes on mineral exports and coal
• Federal taxes on gas exports
• Abolishing LITO and WATO
• Federal land tax surcharge on land that is not your address on the electoral roll.* (A ‘wealth tax’)
• Removal of unverifiable income tax deductions
• Removing tax-exempt status from cults*
• Making income from inheritance and gifts taxable.

NOTE: * These tax changes would NOT APPLY to conservative areas.

Matching donations to legitimate charities

We would remove tax deductibility of unverifiable gifts to charities.

Instead we would have the government match donations received by genuine Australian charities from Australian citizens.

The list of legitimate charities would be culled to only include those that help the environment, the disabled or the less well off here and overseas.

Exclusive schools, religious and ethnic groups that just help there own members would not be considered genuine charities.

Less cults

Cults have the following characteristics:

• An authoritarian leader
• Preach separation and isolation from the rest of society
• Punish and isolate people who leave the group
• Demand high payments from members (More than 5% of income)

We would not allow cults to claim tax-free status as a religion or run government-funded schools or hospitals, etc.

A list of Australian cults is here.

Higher wages

Australian wage growth is too low compared to company profits and inflation.

We would increase the minimum wage to push up all wages – except in conservative areas.

Free passports!

Australian passports to be free. Some reasonable charge for replacing lost or damaged passports.

No passports for Australians who have committed crimes or general nuisance overseas for some period of time. An appeal process would be needed.

This would be funded by higher aviation fuel taxes.

Free Australian driver’s licences!

A new FREE Australian Driver’s License to be introduced replacing the need for a license in each State or Territory.

This would be funded by a slight increase in fuel excise and a levy on EV’s that would flow to the States and Territories if they abolished their own driver’s licenses.

References

1. Who benefits from negative gearing (PDF, Australia Institute)
2. Who benefits from Franking Credits (Australia Institute)
3. Cheapest power generation (Guardian)
4. Previous Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (ATO)
5. IMF says scrap GGT discount (Nine)
6. Billions lost by not taxing gas (Ross Gittins)
7. Sally McManus’s tax reform proposals (Guardian)
8. ACCOSS 2018/19 Tax cuts benefit the wealthy (PDF)
9. Tax reform isn’t hard – slug multinationals and subsidise the things we want more of (Australia Institute)
10. If we want a better, more equal society, we need more tax. But more tax only works if big business pays their fair share (Greg Jericho, Guardian)
11. Health funding is one of our trickiest issues – here’s a politically sweet fix (Australia Institute)
12. The LMITO and stage 3 tax cuts by electorate (Australia Institute – PDF)
13. The great gas rip off (Australia Institute)
14. Nothing sweet about the tax system (The Age, Dec 2025)