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FOR THE NEAR future, the unfinished business of tax reform will remain just that: unfinished. It's partly the result of the condition of the Howard government's finances; but a better explanation is that it's been shunted to the bottom of the government's list of priorities, at least until the next election.
When Prime Minister John Howard, Treasurer Peter Costello and Finance Minister Nick Minchin met early last December to begin planning the 2003-04 budget, one of their decisions was to tell their cabinet colleagues not to expect extra funds for any new programs. In the words of one insider: "If it's not security, defence or the drought, any new spending has to ...