Budget surplus crucial shock buffer: RBA

The Reserve Bank's governor says income tax cuts are a good idea but it is also important to return the budget to surplus.

Returning the federal budget to surplus is key to giving Australia a buffer against a future downturn, Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe says.

The already-announced income tax cuts were a positive development, but it was also important to balance the budget, Mr Lowe said in a speech in Sydney on Wednesday.

"It is really important that we are in a position to be able to respond in the case the economy does have a downturn in the future - which at some point we will - and getting the budget back to balance on a reasonable time scale is part of that," Mr Lowe said.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world