This paper seeks to review the effectiveness of the tax reforms flowing from 1999 Review of Business Taxation's Report (known as the Ralph Report). In doing so, this paper selects three aspects of the enacted Ralph Report reforms, the non-commercial loss (NCL) rules, the simplified tax system...

The problem of taxpayers claiming income tax loss deductions for hobby/lifestyle activities has been a perennial issue for the Australian income tax system. As a result of the 1999 Review of Business Taxation's (herein after the ‘Review') report the federal Government introduced non-commercial...

Having a basic understanding of the tax system would seem to be part of the knowledge base required for those wishing to run a small business, as owners are likely to be key decision-makers. However, our understanding of the level of tax literacy for Australian small businesses is scant. This...