Resumen de Recent Trends in Income Redistribution in Australia: Can Changes in the Tax-Benefit System Account for the Decline in Redistribution?

Nicolas Herault, Francisco Azpitarte

• We examine trends in the redistributive impact of the tax-benefit system in Australia between 1994 and 2009 using a framework that allows us to separate the contributions of taxes, benefits, and taxes and benefits combined. Furthermore, we identify the effect of tax-benefit policy reforms on income redistribution over the period. We find that after reaching a peak value in the late 1990s, the redistributive effect of taxes and benefits declined sharply. Although reforms to the tax-benefit system contributed to the decline in redistribution, their contribution was limited compared to the role played by the changes in market income distribution.