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John Kehoe

John Kehoe

Financial Review

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‘Ghost’ offices in the public service should rile taxpayers

On a recent Friday in Canberra, a deflated public servant friend revealed that there were only three people at work on a floor space that can seat 30...

previous day 20

Financial Review

John Kehoe

We need a tough treasurer to talk us through tax reform

What really matters for future living standards is government policy going above and beyond mediocre minor changes.

10.04.2024 30

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The PM has made a silly billion-dollar bet on solar panels

The price of solar panels has plunged and overseas makers are going broke, making it even more puzzling why the government is making a $1 billion...

03.04.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Interest rate pain is not so bad for homeowners

The Reserve Bank’s 13 interest rate rises have curbed demand without tipping mortgage holders into big trouble.

27.03.2024 8

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Where your spend at Coles and Woolworths is really going

The supermarkets are not profit gouging: less than $3 of every $100 spent goes to profits. Look at the market power of brewers and big tech instead.

20.03.2024 5

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Bullock pivots on interest rates in last-mile inflation run

Ever so gently, the RBA board has dialled back its outlook for interest rates, but governor Michele Bullock remains alert to the bumpy ride ahead.

19.03.2024 5

Financial Review

John Kehoe

How we’ve lost the plot on tax and profit populism

Progressive activists have become so obsessed with distribution of income and profits, without giving any thought to first maximising the economic pie...

13.03.2024 2

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The economy is weak, but it’s not all doom and gloom

Beneath the doom and gloom talk of a “per capita recession” and mortgage stress, there are pockets of resilience and cause for optimism.

06.03.2024 6

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The housing crisis won’t be fixed by pretend policies

Our housing availability and affordability problem is having perverse effects on work, intergenerational mobility, entrepreneurship, fertility and...

06.03.2024 8

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Tax carbon, but don’t gamble on green energy ‘superpower’

A carbon levy is required, but the money should be returned to households, not bureaucrats trying to pick ‘green’ winners, writes John Kehoe.

28.02.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Nickel miners exploit PM’s battery-making pipe dream

Instead of taxpayer bailouts, Australia would be better off letting workers from loss-making mines become home builders to help housing affordability.

21.02.2024 5

Financial Review

John Kehoe

We’re paying more tax for Liberals’ GST fiddling

The costly GST deal attempting to save Liberal seats in WA could cost $50 billion – money that federal taxpayers will have to foot the bill for.

14.02.2024 7

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Lessons for Australia in US inflation surprise

Higher-than-expected CPI readings in the United States is a timely jolt for Australians pinning their hopes on interest rate cuts this year.

14.02.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Forget tax cuts, fix NDIS or heads must roll

The budget hole from the NDIS is now so serious that hard, honest truths must be told and a big light shone on Bill Shorten, Jim Chalmers and Katy...

07.02.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Bullock hedges on next RBA interest rate move

RBA governor Michele Bullock is keeping her options open on interest rates, even as the bank’s statement laid out inflation risks from services and...

06.02.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Tax changes are ‘Band-Aids and sticky tape’ on a broken system

Australia is too reliant on slugging workers for income tax – sapping work incentives, deterring international talent and penalising working-age...

31.01.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Why the RBA won’t be cutting interest rates in a hurry

There is limited scope for the central bank to reduce borrowing costs in 2024 as it waits for evidence that inflation is returning to target, writes...

23.01.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The bitcoin ETF hype is missing the bigger story

Bitcoin will turn out to be a sideshow whose only role is to pave the way for state-backed digital money and tokenisation.

17.01.2024 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Chalmers’ best budget effort must be sustained

Jim Chalmers has resisted pressure to spend a $64 billion tax windfall. The tougher test will be showing sustained fiscal discipline and getting the...

13.12.2023 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Bullock’s interest rate communication job just got harder

The disclosure of RBA board votes and public remarks by board members will make it more challenging for Michele Bullock to control the central...

13.12.2023 8

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Watering down super fund tests risks lower returns

Adjusting the performance test methodology could make green investments more viable. But super fund members should be wary that they could end up...

06.12.2023 9

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Even dentists are joining the RBA rates pile-on

The Reserve Bank is coming in for some heavy criticism, but we need it to be a straight shooter in our age of spin and social media echo chambers.

01.12.2023 6

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Why Chalmers wanted an outsider at the RBA, and overlooked an insider

The appointment for the first time of a foreigner to deputy governor reflects Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ desire for an outsider to help overhaul the...

27.11.2023 5

Financial Review

John Kehoe

High house prices are killing off our new entrepreneurs

Business start-ups are declining among younger generations and rocketing property prices may be to blame. That’s bad for the economy.

22.11.2023 3

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Jobs and wages won’t move the RBA this year

Important jobs and wages numbers this week have come in close to the Reserve Bank expectations. It’s now almost certain interest rates will stay...

16.11.2023 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Why rate rises haven’t left households on borrowed time

Savings in offset accounts and workers prospering in the jobs boom mean Reserve Bank hikes are biting fewer people than observers predicted.

15.11.2023 60

Financial Review

John Kehoe

One chart shows governments have added to inflation

A ratcheting up in spending by federal and state governments under Liberal and Labor has pumped more money into the economy and made the RBA’s job...

08.11.2023 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

RBA likely to take a breather for the rest of the year

The RBA’s actions from here will depend on the flow of economic data, particularly inflation and the labour market.

07.11.2023 4

Financial Review

John Kehoe

How the states are pushing up mortgage rates

Big infrastructure builds and the migration surge are adding to inflation pressure on the Reserve Bank.

03.11.2023 3

Financial Review

John Kehoe

To avoid recession, the RBA must carry a credible stick

The bank must be seen to be independent of government and make good monetary policy decisions if it is to convince the public it will get inflation...

01.11.2023 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Inflation is now a home-grown problem for the RBA

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is blaming the oil price spike for inflation but local factors are increasingly driving inflation.

27.10.2023 4

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Inflation boosts chances of Cup Day interest rate rise

The jump in underlying inflation will be extremely hard for Michele Bullock to ignore as she tries to shore up the RBA’s credibility.

25.10.2023 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

All roads lead to a tax shake up after EV ruling

The High Court’s decision banning Victoria’s electric vehicle tax has parallels to how the GST came about.

25.10.2023 4

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Why retirees have to pay their fair share of tax

‘I worked hard and paid all my taxes’ does not pass the pub test when tax-free retirements now last so long.

18.10.2023 5

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The fixed rate mortgage ‘cliff’ was a myth

Households are well braced to withstand the 4 percentage point of interest rate increases so far, amid the possibility of more monetary policy...

11.10.2023 7

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Labor’s franking credit changes raise bigger questions

The government’s planned changes raise a legitimate question about the long-term future of dividend imputation.

04.10.2023 4

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Steady Bullock pauses for now, but November could be crunch time

New governor Michele Bullock didn’t jump at August’s higher inflation, but she will likely not hesitate to impose “some further tightening” if...

03.10.2023 10

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The ‘new’ RBA will be evolutionary, not revolutionary

Is the independent review of the Reserve Bank ‘radical’ or is this ‘misinformation’? The reality may lie somewhere in between.

27.09.2023 6

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Daniel Andrews trashed Victoria’s finances

Victorians will pay a hefty price for decades after state gross debt exploded to above $200 billion, as borrowing costs for governments hit the...

26.09.2023 9

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Chalmers can’t wish his way to lower unemployment

Labor needs more than small-target ‘Hollowmen’ policies to keep the jobless rate sustainably low without pushing up inflation and help the Reserve...

25.09.2023 5

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Market economy critics don’t have a better way to lift incomes

Australia’s mix of a market-based economy with a social safety net has served people well.

20.09.2023 7

Financial Review

John Kehoe

The secret behind NSW’s tax and spend budget

A population surge of more than half a million into the state will deliver the budget more tax revenue from property owners and employers hiring...

19.09.2023 2

Financial Review

John Kehoe

Don’t judge Phil Lowe’s inflation-fighting legacy yet

It will be the “last mile” in getting CPI down that will tell us whether the outgoing RBA governor did enough at the right times.

13.09.2023 3

Financial Review

John Kehoe

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