Education

The International Monetary Fund's latest World Economic Outlook, released at its Annual Meetings in Bangkok on 13 October, has landed in the middle of Australia's tax debate. Within hours, the Opposition used the report to argue for spending restraint and for its own plan …

The Coalition's plan would automatically halve fuel excise when Brent crude averages US$100 a barrel over two weeks. Here is how the trigger, the switch-off and the trucking changes would work, and what the Coalition says it would cost. Fuel prices are back on …

The cap that limits concessional tax treatment of lifetime super pensions rose from $125,000 to $131,250 on 1 July 2026. Here is how it works for taxed and untaxed schemes, and how the $3 million super tax fits in. As self-lodgers finalise their 2025–26 …

The record-keeping shortcut that let workers claim up to $300 without receipts ended on 1 July 2026. Under the new $1,000 standard deduction, claiming more than the standard amount means proving every dollar. Millions of Australians are finishing their 2025–26 tax returns ahead of …

The $150 laundry limit ended on 1 July 2026. Under the new $1,000 standard deduction, a uniform-washing claim on its own may add nothing to your total, and claiming above $1,000 now means written evidence for everything. Washing a work uniform has long been …

From 2026–27, devices used mainly to earn salary or wages can't be added to a low-value pool. The deduction survives, but it now eats into the new $1,000 standard deduction, which changes the maths for many workers. A new laptop, phone or monitor bought …

On the current 70 cent fixed rate, a worker needs about 1,429 logged hours at home before an itemised claim beats the new $1,000 standard deduction. For many hybrid workers, the standard amount may be the better option. Working-from-home costs are a routine claim …