Description

Written Assessment

Worth 25%

Due Friday 15th May 2020 @ 11.59 pm

Henry told us in his guide to the Institutional Framework of Taxation in Australia that the Australian Taxation System is one of the most complex in the world and is made up of approximately 125 taxes including taxes such as Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Fringe Benefits Tax and Goods and Services Tax.  He also mentioned that there are many different organisations that play different and important roles within this system to ensure its integrity and that all Australians are treated equally and with equity.

The Australian Taxation System is embedded in the way of life for all Australian taxpayers. We pay tax on our income, we pay tax when we purchase goods and use services, and we pay tax when we sell assets, to name a few. In return the Government provides public services and benefits e.g. hospitals, schools, defence, and financial assistance to those in need etc.

As we know the government relies heavily on the revenue from taxation to be able to finance its activities and the services it offers to the public.  As such, reforms and reviews on taxation are often the focus of the Australian government. 

Media in Australia and around often contest that large multinationals like Google, Facebook etc., do not paying their share fair of tax to the countries they operate in.  The article below is an example of such criticism and explores the decision by Google to pay an extra $481.5m in taxes to settle a decade long dispute with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) over its Australian tax bill.

https://www.nestegg.com.au/earn-money/tax-refund/google-to-pay-nearly-500m-in-tax-settlement

Your task will be to look at this topical area of taxation and to comply with the instructions below.

Required

This assessment requires you to comment and offer your opinion on the global discussion surrounding the taxing of multinationals and the perceived view they are not paying their correct or fair share of taxation in the countries in which they operate. 

One approach, as proposed by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) is to introduce a minimum global rate of tax on multinationals. 

There are 2 parts to this assessment

Part One - Worth 5%

Review traditional and online media (i.e. newspapers, reputable online news sites etc.) in your country and those from overseas that discuss the either, the topic of multinationals not paying their fair share of tax, the proposal by the OCED or a sufficiently related topic.

You need to find 10 articles which relate to the topic/s above. These articles need to be attached and submitted with your assignment.  The articles should be from the years of 2018/2019/2020 only. 

If you do not have access to actual newspapers then you may use the Factiva Database within the Curtin Library.  A factsheet on how to use this database and a short video presentation is included in the assessment link for this assignment on the Blackboard. 

You may also use online news sources.

Importantly, the articles must be scanned or saved as PDF files and uploaded to the Blackboard in the appropriate area within the assessment tab. 

Please note we will not accept links to the articles.