Public Finance

This course is available for on-campus & remote (online) learning. All students participate in interactive, real-time classes. Fiscal Policy, Globalization and Development This course is aimed at students who are interested in fiscal policy including tax and expenditure law and policy concerning how to fund government effectively. It examines the key challenges of fiscal policy in achieving sufficient revenues, economic prosperity and development and in addressing social justice and inequality in a context of globalisation. The course provides an introduction to public finance law and policy; tax policy principles; and tax reform and law design principles. We then examine several topical case studies of particular fiscal systems and tax or expenditure reforms or policies in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and the world. The subject takes a critical approach to examining the principles, processes and outcomes of fiscal policy. Students do not need to have a detailed knowledge of tax law or economics to do this subject. Principal topics are: • Public finance law and policy including budget laws, fiscal institutions and rules • General principles of public finance • Tax principles relevant to development: efficiency, distributive justice, administration • The relationship between tax, lending and aid for low income countries • Resource taxation including rent taxes, royalties and budgeting for oil and mineral revenues • Fiscal federalism and decentralisation including tax allocation and revenue sharing between governments • The corporate tax and multinationals in the context of economic globalization • International tax transparency and coordination between governments • The future: global taxes?