SAUL ESLAKE

Economist

SAUL ESLAKE

‘Welcome to my website …
I’m an independent economist, consultant, speaker,
and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania’

Taxation


Taxation is an important part of economic policy – not only in raising revenue for governments to spend, but also in influencing private saving, investment and spending decisions, and for affecting the distribution of income and wealth. Decisions as to what is (or isn’t taxed), and at what rate, are always controversial, and sometimes have unintended consequences.

The tax system should preference new businesses, not small ones

News, Publications, Taxation | 29th September 2020

Article in The New Daily, a news site owned by industry superannuation funds, 29th September 2020.


Saul talks to well-known business commentator Peter Switzer

News, Tasmania, Taxation | 17th September 2020

Interview with Peter Switzer, 17th September 2020 Saul talks to well-known business commentator Peter Switzer about tax preferences for small business, and his proposal for the re-introduction of what Peter insists on calling a ‘death tax’ in Tasmania


Tassie economist Saul Eslake calls for discussions around tax reform in new report – Tasmania Talks

News, Tasmania, Taxation | 16th September 2020

Saul talks to Tasmania Talks’ Aaron Stevens about Reforming Tasmania’s tax system: some options report, 16th Sep 2020.


Reforming Tasmania’s tax system: some options

Tasmania, Taxation | 16th September 2020

Paper commissioned by The Australia Institute, Tasmania, and publicly released on 16th September 2020. If preferred, a shorter 2,200 word, 5-page version is available below.


Preferential tax breaks for small business don’t work

News, Taxation | 25th June 2020

The Australian, 24th June 2020


Labor’s policy on cash refunds for franking credits

News, Taxation | 14th March 2018

Katharine Murphy | Guardian Australia | 14th March, 2018 In mid-March 2018 the Australian Labor Party foreshadowed that, if it formed government after the next election (due in 2019) it would no longer allow ‘franking credits’ (credits which shareholders in Australian companies receive for the tax paid by companies in which they own shares, which […]


More on the taxation treatment of property investment

Housing, Publications, Taxation | 1st February 2018

Saul Eslake | Pearls and Irritations | 1st February 2018 A short article published 1st February 2018 on ‘Pearls and Irritations’, the blog curated by former Qantas CEO and Head of the Prime Minister’s Department John Menadue, prompted by the release in January of 2018 of Treasury advice to the Australian Government about the likely […]


Using super for home deposit a ‘thoroughly bad idea’: Economist Saul Eslake

Housing, News, Taxation | 11th April 2017

James-Elton Pym | SBS News | 11th April 2017 Letting young people dip into their superannuation to fund house deposits would increase buying power and drive house prices higher, the independent economist has warned. Independent economist Saul Eslake says Liberal backbenchers advocating a plan to allow young people to use their superannuation as a home […]


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

Speaking Engagement | Boardroom Advisory | Commissioned Report | Expert Witness



Saul Eslake spoke to Zurich Australia executives and staff at their ‘Accelerate’ conference in Sydney on 9th May 2024, covering short- and longer-term trends in major ‘advanced’ economies, China, India and Australia, with a bit of geo-politics thrown in.



“You are the best economic thinker in the country hands down”

Sheryle Bagwell, recently retired Senior Business Correspondent (and sometime Executive Producer),
ABC Radio National Breakfast


“Just want to congratulate you Saul on the unbelievably good set of slides you just presented, possibly the best I have ever seen. You have set the bar very high.”

Dr Joe Flood, Adjunct Fellow, RMIT University, Pandemicia


“Thank you very much for your excellent presentation for the Economic Society today. It is always a great pleasure to hear your eloquent, up-to-date and comprehensive talks.”

Andrew Trembath, economist, Victorian and Australian Government agencies


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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


The Economies of Asia, Australia and New Zealand
Asian Economies, The Global Economy
10th July 2025


A podcast about “The Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century Thus Far” – the corruption of the arrangements for distributing revenue from the GST among Australia’s states and territories
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
27th June 2025


Tasmania’s public finances – a comparison with other states and territories in eight charts
Economic Policies, Tasmania
25th June 2025


An agenda for tax reform
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Taxation
22nd June 2025


The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump – for the US, and for Australia
Economic Policies, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy
18th June 2025


Tasmania’s next government needs to have credible plans to return the budget to a cash surplus and reduce debt
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Tasmania
17th June 2025


The World and Australian Economies in a Nutshell – Presentation to 2025 All Actuaries Summit
Productivity, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy
12th June 2025


Inequality in the Distribution of Wealth – An Inter-Generational Perspective
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Taxation
5th June 2025


Tasmanian Government Privatisation Assessment – ‘Stage One’ Report
Economic Policies, Tasmania, Topics
1st June 2025


Tasmania’s 2025-26 State Budget puts the main task off to another day
Economic Policies, Tasmania
29th May 2025


Is the United States about to step over a dangerous financial precipice?
Economic Policies, News, The Global Economy
24th May 2025


Government’s proposal to increase the tax on superannuation
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation
22nd May 2025


The funding of greyhound racing in Tasmania
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Tasmania
22nd May 2025


Victoria’s profligacy is a problem for all of us
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy
20th May 2025


An inter-generational perspective on wealth inequality in Australia
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Video, Housing, Taxation
16th May 2025


NEWS

TV, Radio & Print Media


Is the United States about to step over a dangerous financial precipice?
Economic Policies, News, The Global Economy | 24th May 2025

Government’s proposal to increase the tax on superannuation
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation | 22nd May 2025

Victoria’s profligacy is a problem for all of us
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 20th May 2025

Labor should use its second victory as a platform for ambitious reform
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News | 5th May 2025

The two worrying trends revealed in Australia’s AAA warning
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 30th April 2025

Australia’s ‘housing crisis’ – and how (and why) both major political parties plan to make it worse
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview | 19th April 2025

Housing Policies Could Push Up Prices
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview | 17th April 2025

Housing policies in the 2025 election
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News | 17th April 2025

Bad Housing Policy (yet again?)
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation | 14th April 2025

There must be an election on – both major parties are proposing policies which will push up house prices
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Publications, Taxation | 13th April 2025

Tariffs, Global Economics, and the Future of Trade Policies
Economic Policies, Globalization, News, The Global Economy, US Economy Video | 8th April 2025

Stocks bloodbath: Why investors no longer think Trump can make America great again
Economic Policies, News, The Global Economy | 7th April 2025

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VIDEO

Most Recent Multimedia


TESTIMONIALS

What Others Say


Australian Minister for Housing, the Hon. Clare O'Neill MP on ABC Q&A, September 2024

“We are lucky as a State to have an economist of your calibre willing to readily make yourself available to give us a clea r perception of where we are at and the direction we need to go for a better future”
Diplomatic Representative, August 2024

“You are one of the best at what you do in the world”
Gail Fosler, Chief Economist, The Conference Board, New York, December 2002

“I have never known an economist to have such a knowledge of world economic facts and to be able to bring to bear so much information in answering a question without notice”
Charles Goode, Chairman, ANZ Bank, July 2009

“Saul Eslake is … a highly regarded independent economist with the highest degree of integrity"
John Durie, Columnist, The Australian, July 2009

“… one of the few people in this world who can have so many oranges up in the air at the same time but still manage to catch them"
Andrew Clark, journalist, Australian Financial Review, November 2008

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LINKS

Useful Links


Below is a list of links I’ve found useful under the following broad topics

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