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Graham Hand

Most people (and the ATO) do not know their super tax

  No entity holds a consolidated view of the taxable income of super, not even the ATO. So Treasury and the Treasurer adopted a simple method to impose a new tax, and the adverse consequences then started to surface.

10 revelations about the new $3 million super tax

Treasury might not realise, but it's not a 30% tax, it's a completely new tax. And payment will not be due until FY28. Taxing unrealised gains will have major implications and the lack of indexing must change.

How the new super tax will hit large balances

The Government rushed a decision to increase tax on super balances above $3 million. Although the effective date is after the next election, the big surprise is including unrealised capital gains in earnings.

Labor's ‘stability and certainty’ sings from Morrison's hymn sheet

Six years on, the Labor Government used exactly the same words that Treasurer Scott Morrison said in 2016. Before changes in super rules, we are promised "stability and certainty", but the top 1% is too tempting.

Lesson 1: focus on the long term, Lesson 2: see Lesson 1

In this exclusive interview, three global fund managers come together to make the case for long-term, active portfolio management in more difficult times. Passive can no longer rely simply on strong market momentum.

$5 million cap punishes 30 years of super saving

The ATO Commissioner called large super balances "accidents of history" but the industry has rolled over on a $5 million cap. Wealth compounds remarkably over decades and long-term saving should be encouraged.

Latest Updates

Back to the future - Why indexing CGT is a good idea

A return to indexation of capital gains would be a fairer way to compensate households for the effects of inflation than the current discount. Importantly, it opens the door to future, broader reforms to stop the taxation of inflation.

Australia has no death duties. Technically.

Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.

Strategy

The folly of the Iran war

From oil shocks to fractured alliances, the Iran war carries the hallmarks of a historic policy misstep - one that could tip an already fragile global economy into crisis.

Taxation

Noel Whittaker’s take on the budget

Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.

Investment strategies

The red metal's long game

Copper has had a rough few weeks but investors should not ignore the potential for future price increases as supply increasingly falls behind demand.

Taxation

The lesser-known effects of changed property taxes

The budget’s property tax reforms are being framed as fairness measures, but they risk splitting the housing market, penalising lower‑income investors and introducing distortions that may prove costly.

Latest from Morningstar

Why stocks sometimes fall for no obvious reason

The vast and opaque world of private assets is a powerful gravitational force - and when trouble hits, it's the more liquid public equities that often the feel it first.

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