A peak tax body has expressed alarm at the apparent slipping of the Henry tax review down the Rudd government's list of priorities, says the Australian.
This morning Kevin Rudd indicated he was putting Treasury secretary Ken Henry's review on the backburner after nominating the $50 billion public health takeover plan as the government's top priority.
The Prime Minister refused to say he would release the review before the budget, saying: "In terms of specific timetables for doing it, no, I don't have anything particular in mind.''
But the comments have aroused concern among some taxation industry groups, which have been lobbying for the government to release the report and reveal its official response. Top of Form
Senior tax counsel for the Taxation Institute of Australia, Robert Jeremenko, said he was worried the government's health and education packages had pushed tax reform off the agenda.
``We're extremely concerned that the government seems to have omitted tax reform from its list of priority issues,'' he said.
``The Taxation Institute continues to strongly advocate for meaningful tax reform. And we call on the government to reaffirm tax reform as a key priority, and that includes releasing the Ken Henry review and the government's response''.
Mr Jeremenko said there was no point putting back the release of the report and argued the government needed to reach a balance in terms of its priorities.
``The government has had the Henry report since before Christmas last year. The government needs to balance all of its priorities This report is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, as the Treasurer has said.''