Treasurer Scott Morrison has flagged possible changes to superannuation tax incentives ahead of the May budget.
Mr Morrison says the government wants to see more targeted incentives, insisting there's a "strong case" for examining the size and structure of tax concessions.
"Tax incentives have got to target those people who are most likely to possibly end up on a pension or a part pension if they don't get that tax incentive," he told 3AW on Friday.
"We're going to focus the tax incentives in this country on the people who need them."
Mr Morrison conceded savings from any changes to superannuation would not be as significant as the now-scrapped option to change the GST.
Changes to the consumption tax would have been "nice" but compensation payments made it unviable, he said.
The government was still considering a "plethora" of options for tax reform with announcements to be made either in or before the May budget.
Negative gearing is one of those options, with the government looking to target excesses in the scheme, he said.
Mr Morrison told a superannuation conference in Adelaide on Thursday the government was "very close to the landing point on some decisions on super".
The government was looking at compulsory drawdowns - the minimum amount people are required to take from their retirement income stream - and was sympathetic to the problems created by market volatility.
But tax incentives weren't designed to help people with estate planning.
"If people want to raise and save money over the course of their life and pass them on to their kids, good for you," he said.
"But tax incentives aren't there for that."
Labor superannuation spokesman Jim Chalmers said Mr Morrison was proposing an attack on the retirement incomes of 9.5 million Australians.
Labor's priority was to change arrangements for those earning more than $75,000 a year on their super balances in retirement.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said unfair tax breaks in super were going to people on high incomes at the expense of people on low incomes.
"I hope that they recognise that if we are to start investing in things like healthcare and education that we need to start tackling some of these unfair tax breaks and make sure tax reform starts at the top rather than at the bottom," he told ABC TV.
Share
