The Tax and Transfer Policy Institute (TTPI), supported by the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, aims to improve understanding of the tax and transfer system both within Australia and globally.
TTPI, in partnership with the Korea Institute of Public Finance (KIPF) held the Korea Australia Tax Symposium at the Crawford School on 21 – 23 November 2024. This symposium alternates between the two countries each year and represents a collaboration between the leading tax policy think tanks in both Australia and Korea. The event is a continuation of a partnership which emerged in 2017 and continues to produce tangible, positive outcomes. The research focus of the 2024 symposium was on managing complex tax and transfer systems in the current challenging environment of inflation and strategic uncertainty. Equitable and sustainable tax systems are vital for both countries. These relationships strengthen Australia’s global ties and provide evidence to support policymakers on tax, transfer and intergovernmental fiscal challenges. They improve the research and policy outreach capabilities of our international partner institutions.
The collaboration continues to strengthen a network of researchers between both countries and includes Australian government representatives from a variety of departments - this year the Commonwealth Treasury and the Australian Taxation Office. Participants from New Zealand were involved for the first time, with delegates from the Inland Revenue Office, and Auckland University of Technology attending. TTPI’s unique network allows the symposium to facilitate greater links between academia and the government, allowing TTPI and KIPF research to inform and impact policymaking.
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Canberra, sponsored the welcome reception morning tea and the opening remarks were announced by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Australia, Mr Seungseob Sim. This was followed by a virtual welcome address by the President of KIPF, Dr Young Lee. Other presenters involved were from the e61 Institute, University of Melbourne and Deakin University.
The symposium focused on several policy issues relevant to both jurisdictions, including: the implications of an ageing population for labour market and tax policy design, the implications of transfer policy design for welfare policies’ uptake, the role of migration, and the implications of tax policy design for investment. A strong partnership between TTPI and KIPF has emerged through these events and both organisations are committed to continuing the collaboration into the future. The 2025 event will be held in Seoul.
Event Speakers
