Treasurers have always relied upon population growth and bracket creep to help ramp up the revenue. A bigger population means more workers. And if wages are kicking along at a decent clip, more of those workers are bumped up into higher tax brackets.
Bracket creep is a Treasurer’s secret weapon. It delivers windfall gains for very little effort and in an election year, offers a wonderful opportunity to give the electorate exactly what they need; tax relief.
