'Wilful act of bastardry': Henry condemns tax system for crushing young Australians

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

Got it

Young Australians are the victims of "wilful acts of bastardry" from governments, voters and powerful vested interests, former senior public servant Ken Henry has claimed, accusing federal governments of overseeing a tax system that is failing the country and future generations.

Henry, the former head of the federal Treasury, used a speech to the Per Capita tax summit in Melbourne on Thursday morning to argue every government over the past decade had breached budget rules by allowing the tax system to degrade to such a point that it is stealing from young people and unborn generations of Australians.

Henry, who served as Treasury secretary under the Howard and Rudd governments and oversaw a major tax review in 2010, said young people were paying ever-increasing levels of personal income tax to prop up spending that benefited a diminishing proportion of older people and vested interests.

He said government policy seemed aimed at hurting young people and future generations.