Economic News

The ATO publishes the Division 7A benchmark interest rate each income year. For 2026–27 it is 8.77%, according to the ATO's Division 7A benchmark interest rate page. The previous year's rate was 8.37%.

• The RBA counts higher yields as part of restrictive financial conditions.

Commissioner of Taxation v Hicks [2025] FCAFC 171 is a Full Federal Court decision dealing with section 45B and Part IVA in a case where capital distributions were used to repay Division 7A loans.

Central bank documents are written with care, and phrases such as "more than expected" are not used lightly. In its November 2026 Statement onMonetary Policy(SMP), the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) applied that phrase to housing. The financial conditions chapter notes that "housing prices …

According to Treasurer Jim Chalmers' media release on the passage of the "next tranche" of tax reforms, Tax Reform No. 2 passed the Senate on 19 August 2026.

• The trade-weightedindexwas 63.8 at 4.00 pm on 11 November.

The permanent write-off was delivered through the Tax Reform No. 2 package, which passed the Senate on 19 August 2026. It is enacted law.